Written in the Stars
by shadowsteed
Summary: When Davy Jones found an injured horse lying upon a beach in the middle of nowhere, little did he know that by saving her life, he would change the course of not only his fate, but the fate of others as well. Follow the tale of a creature long away from home, whose story was written deep in the Caribbean seas and whose presence has touched the lives of all she met along the way..
1. Chapter 1

_Hallo, my friends, so, after a long time away from here, I started writing a new story, after seeing the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie, which is a series that I love dearly, but they keep disappointing me by killing of my favourite characters, you'll know what I mean if you saw the movie. So, after seeing it I had a discussion with my friend and I remember a little text based, role playing game that I used to play with a bunch of my friends when I was younger, where we played in the POTC world, only we played as magical talking horses. :D I won't go into details, but it gave me an idea to write a story, with new twists that you'll hopefully like, so just read it and wait. :) Anyway, let's get to the first chapter. :)_

Written in the Stars

Chapter 1.

It was a beautiful, sunny morning in the Caribbean Sea, a quiet one that was hardly ever disturbed even by a cry of a lonely seagull flying in the sky. The sea was calm under the slowly rising sun, only the gentle ripples in the water indicating that it wasn't, in fact, a giant mirror, stretching far away in the horizon. With no proper land visible it seemed endless, a great mass of dark grayish blue water hiding within it it's secrets and mysteries.

Suddenly though, out of nowhere, something appeared in the distance. A shape of a ship. You might not be able to recognise it without a spyglass, but as the ship came closer, there was no doubt as to it's identity. It could have been beautiful at one time, and for some, perhaps, it still was, but seeing it like this, floating on the sea, half rotting and covered with seaweed, it was truly a disconcerting sight. The Flying Dutchman. This nightmare of a ship who filled the dreams of thousands of sailors with dread, along with her fearsome captain, who was, speaking of him, standing on the deck at this very moment.

He was, in every bit, the same as his ship, frightening, yet strangely graceful in his appearance. The great hat, signifying that he truly was a captain, told tales about the man he must have been once, and his bright, blue eyes that never quite lost their sadness even when he was angry, reflected the endless depths of his tragic life. This was Davy Jones, as he always will be. His tentacles, which cascaded around his head, forming a strange caricature of a beard, were twitching slightly as their owner looked over the silent waters impatiently.

He wasn't very lucky these past few days, and he was growing restless, as was his crew. It was as if the sea itself has decided to be merciful, or rather, to mock him with it's refusal to grant him a single unfortunate ship to cross his path, or at least one tragedy he could take an advantage of. He could always feel them of course, the pain and the dying screams of the sailors as their ships and their lives were destroyed by whatever misfortune happened to them on these treacherous seas. These feelings have dulled over the years since he refused to acknowledge them, but he never allowed it completely, for in the following decades it always told him clearly just where to search for his next prey. This past week however, the sea was silent.

Wordlessly, he ordered his men to continue in their current direction, and he turned, ready to return to his cabin, when something caught his attention. A short distance away from the ship they were passing a small, sandy island, with something as white as the snow lying on the shore. Upon closer inspection, he found out, much to his surprise, that it was in fact a white horse. The creature was quite beautiful, with it's long, silvery mane pooling around it's flanks, but it was clear that there was something very wrong with it. The animal was obviously unconscious, but it's body was shaking with what was probably some kind of sickness.

He stood there for a while, watching it, and then he ordered his men to step onto the shore. The sharkman, Maccus, was the first one to reach the horse, and as he crouched in front of it, he roughly turned the creature onto it's other side. Then, a huge gaping wound that looked suspiciously like one made by a bullet was revealed to them, and it didn't look well, probably infected by the look of it's reddened edges.

His first instinct was to just shoot the horse and be done with it, but as he looked at it's dying, pitiful form, he felt a strange feeling inside him that just wouldn't let go. It felt as if the creature was somehow… kindred to him, and he couldn't bring himself to kill it. So instead, shaking his head in his confusion, he told the crew to lift the horse and bring her, as it was indeed a mare, onto the ship. They were surprised to say the least, but they obeyed as always. They laid her below one of the masts, making her at least a bit comfortable with a bunch of old cloths they found somewhere in the lower deck.

It was the captain himself who later found himself taking care of the injured animal. He still didn't know what exactly made him do it, but for some reason, he wanted to keep this creature alive. Even from his old life, he knew how to mix all the different manner of sea flora that, fortunately, grew freely around his ship, in order to create powerful medicine. That talent used to save lives of his crew many times, back when he was still but a captain of a merchant vessel. Now, it was going to save the life of this horse.

Several minutes ago, he had removed the bullet that was, in fact, still lodged in the creature's shoulder, and he was sure glad that the pain kept her unconscious for the procedure. Now, using a piece of cloth, he gently applied the healing salve onto the wound with one of his longest tentacles. He couldn't have noticed that of course, but as he looked at the animal before him, the sullen look in his eyes softened slightly, as new and yet old memories surfaced in his mind, memories of his childhood long before he found his true calling as a sailor, and the farm where he would spend his time taking care of his father's animals. He didn't know how he could still remember that, after all this time, but now, alone with his memories, he remembered them fondly. He stayed like this, lost in thought, for a little while longer, but then he shook his head and stood up, once more the captain of the Dutchman. His heavy footsteps sounded in the silence of the ship as he left, but, unknown to him, his every move was now being followed by a pair of dark, brown eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

Written in the Stars

Chapter 2.

It was well into the night when she opened her eyes again, woken up by the most haunting, yet the most beautiful of sounds she has ever heard. As she looked around herself to inspect her surroundings, realising she was on a ship, and her eyes widened in surprise as the light of the moon above her revealed the ship in all it's strange and terrifying detail. Then her thoughts were once more captured by the music she heard and she perked her ears up trying to discern what it was. Someone on this ship was playing an organ.

Her body felt sore from lying on the ground from what felt like several days, and so, placing one foot next to the other she tried to stand up, but as soon as she did, fire erupted in her left shoulder and she laid back down, screaming in pain. Immediately, the music stopped, and a few seconds later she felt many eyes on her as the crew came to take a look at their guest.

Deep in his quarters, captain Davy Jones was once again playing away on his organ, immersing himself in the music as he did so. It was a song that wouldn't leave anyone unmoved by it's melody, a song filled with sadness and the pain of a broken heart. The deep voice of the organ was getting higher and higher as he pressed the keys with more and more fervour, all of his cephalopod appendages together creating a cacophony of overwhelming sounds that were to be heard across the seas like a storm.

Suddenly though, his play has been disturbed by a totally different sound, a high-pitched, painful sound filled with a pain of more immediate concern, one that he knew he should probably take care of immediately, lest the crew might do something stupid and entirely unnecessary in his absence. And so he raised from his seat and made his way to the deck, pushing his way through the crowd of gaping sailors.

She stared at them, pressing herself slightly against the wet wooden railing, their curious and not-so-friendly stares making her uncomfortable, and she jerked her head back when one of them tried to touch her, neighing in warning and snapping her teeth, nearly biting his fingers. He was one of the more human of the group, with half of his face covered with pufferfish spines. With his hand narrowly escaping being mashed by horse teeth, he angrily took his sword and aimed it straight at her neck when a voice announced loudly above their heads.

"What in the blazes is going on-uh?" her head snapped up as the crew made their way for their captain to pass through, a man she found to be the most fascinating of them all. His eyes fell on her and she lowered her head, pawing the hardwood floor with a hoof. She remembered him from her brief moment of consciousness before, and she remembered the kindness with which he dressed her wound, but now there was only a hard look in his eyes as he stood there, once more, as the devil of the sea. The man who threatened her, Koleniko was his name, as she learned later, sheathed his weapon again and turned towards his captain.

"I think we should just threw her of the ship." he said. "She ain't gonna be nothing but trouble."

"Or we could just eat her." another of them said hopefully, and many others of them nodded in an obvious agreement with that idea. But the captain simply shook his head and barked: "Nobody is gonna hurt this animal, is that clear? She is to stay on the ship for now, until her wounds heal, and while we wait we make our way to the nearest port where we'll dispatch her as close to a civilised shore as possible. Understood-uh?"

He didn't even wait for them to answer his question as he walked, or rather, limped over to the mare. Surprisingly enough, she seemed to calm down at his approach, as if she was unfazed by his appearance, but her wide, dark eyes kept staring into his. He looked over her injury and he knew that it would still take some time before she will be able to move without problem, which meant that the Dutchman would not be able to submerge with her on board, and so the ship will move only slowly towards it's destination, as the Dutchman wasn't a very fast vessel. Then again, it would give their temporary guest a time to recover, before he'll have to get rid of her.

As he made his way back to his quarters, the figure of his first mate fell into step next to him. "Captain, why have we taken that miserable beast upon the ship? She'll be slowing us down. Shouldn't we be chasing after some pirate scum or somethin'?" he questioned lightly, obviously trying not to sound too bold in his curiosity, but the captain just waved him off with his claw, as he slowly filled his pipe and placed it in his mouth, puffing out a bit of smoke. "I know what I'm doing-ah. Perhaps she'll bring us some good fortune." he said, laughing harshly. "Carry on with your duties and stop asking questions, she'll be out of our hair in a few days-ah." And with that, he vanished through the wall of his ship, leaving the crew alone with the horse.

In the next few days, the young mare was recovering on board of the Flying Dutchman. She has been assigned a place on the ship, one that was better covered against the occasional storm. As it turned out feeding her was not a problem, as soon as she was able to move without feeling pain, she began to happily munch on the nearest ocean greenery growing all around her on the ship's walls.

She was healing surprisingly fast too. On the fifth day she was already strong enough to stand and walk around the deck a bit, though she was mostly just standing on her spot, watching the crew from afar. And it was on this day when the Flying Dutchman finally stumbled upon a ship. Not a pirate ship, but a simple merchant vessel, but still, it was enough for the Dutchman, and certainly enough for the Kraken.

The sun was just starting to set. Davy Jones stood on the deck, letting the soft, gentle breeze blow into his face, when an excited call came from the ship's crow's nest. They have spotted a ship. It was a small, yet rather stocky ship, built for defence rather than speed, but for the captain and his little pet it was still an easy target.

On his command, the crew jumped to their work immediately and soon, the sounds of the terrified screams and the terrible creaking of their soon to be destroyed ship reached the captain's ears as the Kraken set out towards his prey. It only took minutes before the ship was nothing more but a pile of wooden wreckage, and the Dutchman sailed in lazily to pick up what was left to be picked, two men and a young boy, probably a son of one of those two, and the crew gathered around them as they were kneeling by the ship's railing, awaiting their fate.

Out of her little corner, the white mare watched all that has happened with curiosity, and now that it was over she stepped closer to see what the fisherman caught in his nets. The clopping of her hooves was a surprise for everybody, as the crew forgot momentarily about her presence on the ship, and the captives surely must have thought they were hallucinating to see such a creature on a ship like this.

The mare came closer to the nearest man, a still rather young sailor with dark hair and tanned skin of a man who spend a lot of time in the sun, and lowered her head to look at him. In the distance, the sound of the captain's approach could be heard, but he stopped as he, like the rest of the crew, stared and waited for what was going to happen next. The man was obviously terrified, but he still lifted his hand carefully and placed it on the horse's nose, stroking it. He was looking into the animal's eyes and for a few seconds, nothing moved.

And then, in a moment when nobody could see, something changed in those deep, dark orbs that stared deep into the sailor's soul. As the creature faced away from the crew, nobody knew what it was, but the man saw it and it made him absolutely mad with fear. Instantly, he jumped to his feet and used the last bit of strength he had left in his body to slip through an opening in the crew crowding around them, running to the opposite side of the ship.

To everyone's even greater surprise, as soon as the man began running, the mare took off right after him, neighing as if she was spawned directly from hell itself, and even though she was still moving a little stiffly, he injury slowing her down, she still managed to gain on him rather quickly. The man ran towards the railing, obviously intending to rather jump to his death himself than staying here, but the horse behind him would have none of it. She leaped high into the air, aiming to stop him by blocking his path, but as her feet touched the ground again, her injured leg could no longer support her weight and it buckled beneath her, sending her tumbling into the ocean below.

The man up on the ship stopped in the shock of the situation and was quickly caught, and all the crew that didn't have to watch over the other prisoners now looked over the railing and watched as the quickly tiring animal tried to swim in the current, barely keeping her head above the water.

Suddenly though, something incredible happened. As if a land magically appeared beneath her, the horse suddenly stopped struggling, and soon everyone could see why as several thick, strong tentacles wrapped around her and lifted her above the surface. When the Kraken's huge head appeared above the water as well, everyone expected him to eat the animal, but instead, he gently set back onto the deck, keeping one tentacle wrapped around her torso steadily until he was sure she could walk on her own. As soon as she was free, she turned around and neighed as a thank you, and from the darkness below the ship the beast answered with a deep rumble.

The scene they just witnessed was so surreal that nobody on the ship was able to move for a few more minutes, before the captain's voice suddenly brought them out of their trance. "Alright, you lazy rats, the show's over, now back to your work-uh." he shouted and the ship immediately woke up, everything returning to normal. At the end, they didn't keep the sailors, as all of them, for some reason chose to rather face the face the watery grave than finding a new place on the Dutchman. The captain thought it to be a shame for sure, but it didn't strike him as suspicious at that time, though everyone was now curious about their equine passenger. When they asked about it though, he couldn't give them an answer. He wasn't yet sure what to think of her, and so for now he simply intended to watch her to see what more will be revealed about her in time. But it was now very clear to him that there was more, much more about her that met the eye.


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Ok this is something a bit different. There would be a lot of that actual storytelling, but beside that, I decided to write those personal accounts of my character that would sort of fill the blanks as to her past and the events that led to the present and the future. I am perhaps breaking the forth wall by writing this, so to speak, but I hope you don't mind. :)_

Written in the Stars

Chapter 3.

I began to write this personal account so you, dear reader, would know first hand of how my story actually began, and where was I before these events as it is important for you to understand them properly. I lived for a long time now, and over the course of history I found myself a witness to many important things, though only a few will ever know they happened.

I was, originally, born in Britain, Scotland to be precise. For the sake of the story, I won't tell you much about me for now, but you'll all that soon enough. I used to live by this beautiful lake up a river, but that was only before people discovered a rather rich coal deposit in the area and the lake was eventually destroyed to make way for new houses to be buildt. I had to find a new home and that was when I discovered the sea. I fell in love as I stood there, breathing the salted air and looking over the blue horison for the first time.

How I ended up here, in the Caribbean, that is of course another story. The answer was a man of course, or rather, the one I called my mate. I met him the same day I met the sea. He was a traveler, and he loved this place very much, and as if knowing that I too would be happy here, this was the place he decided to show me first. While he wanted to continue on, however, I decided to stay, and both being the rather solitary creatures we were, we agreed on meeting once in a while once he came back to these shores, and for a while, it truly worked, until one day he left, and I never saw him again. I never knew what happened to him, but the sea soon healed any sadness in my heart.

Finding a lonely island, I lived on my own for a while then. Not many people came here, mostly it was smuggler's, who didn't bother as long as I didn't bother them, which I didn't, so they were hardly even aware of my presence. And I didn't leave the place very often either, so my life was a rather calm one, until that faithful day, when that ship stopped near the island and pushed my destiny in a new direction.


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Ok hello everybody, I promise you now that this is the last chapter where not much is happening, with the next one I'm finally starting to get "to the point", so to speak, and you will finally learn what this whole business with the horse is, so I ask you for a bit more patience._

 _:)_

Written in the Stars

Chapter 4.

In the following days, the captain watched their unusual guest on board rather carefully. The horse now kept mostly to herself, stepping away immediately as soon as they managed to hunt down a ship, it was strange, as if she knew something went wrong because of her last time, and so the captain was happy to have a few new sailors in his grasp. His men ignored her now mostly, casting barely anything but a mere glance her way as they passed her, but Davy Jones noticed that there was one particular member of his crew that has taken a liking to her, and that was, surprisingly, the Kraken.

During the times when the beast was awake and the ship was on a move, the Kraken would often push his tentacles up the ship's side, and every time she would come over and lightly start poking them with her nose and neigh in excitement when he would playfully poke her back. Yes, they were indeed playing together, and for his life the captain couldn't understand how that was possible.

The same thing was happening at the very moment and he watched in fascination as the two so vastly different creatures romped and froliced together, with the white horse jumping around, gently nipping at the Kraken's slimy appendages as he tugged at her mane and tail. The creature look elegant and graceful even in what she was currently doing and it was apparent to the captain that she was growing stronger, which also meant that the time come for her to finally leave their ship. To his amazement, the captain realised that he wasn't as glad that she would go as he expected. She brought a sort of life to the ship that wasn't here before, and it was certainly amusing to watch her, but in order for things to go to the way they were, they needed to let her go.

And so, after two days, when they finally found a suitable inhabited piece of land, they sailed as close to the shore as possible, approaching from the other side of the island to avoid being spotted, and then Davy Jones ordered Maccus and Clanker to and lead the horse through the jungle into a nearby town. Neither of them wanted to go and she was visibly unwilling to leave the ship as well, but, at the end, they all obeyed the captain's raised voice.

Maccus placed an old rope around the mare's neck and led her off the ship. As soon as the water touched her hooves, she got a bit of a spring back in her step, but as she stepped on the sandy beach and under the canopy of the first trees, the mare twisted her long neck to glance at the standing on the deck of the ship, and neighed in what, to the captain, sounded remarkably like gratitude.

The forest was dense in this part of the island, and it was difficult to walk through it, so the two crew members were glad when the horse suddenly took the lead and made them a way through the greenery with her much larger body. Maccus has remembered the general direction of the town, and so, wanting to return to the ship as soon as possible he pulled at the rope to get her to move quicker. and so he was quite frustrated when the mare suddenly stopped and looked around, and then started to walk through the trees in the very opposite direction than they were headed. She turned to look at them when they refused to follow her, and after a while of playing tug-of-war with them, she tugged at the rope impatiently, and then again and again, and before they could realise what was happening, she jerked her head one last time, and with that one powerful yank the old rope snapped and the mare jumped and ran forward, bucking like a young foal. The two looked at each other in exasperation and then ran after her, but strangely though, it didn't seem like she was running from them, but she slowed down to a pace they could follow, as if she was actually leading them somewhere.

They arrived at a small clearing, where she stopped and, keeping her eyes on them wearily, she started walking around, sniffing and pawing the ground, until she gave a short, victorious cry, and looked at them expectantly. They walked closer and she pawed the ground in front of her again, giving them a clear signal as to what she wanted them to do. Actually intrigued now, they went to dig in the soil with their hands, as they didn't have a shovel, and their curiosity was picked when, after a while, they hit the wooden surface of a chest. Taking it out of the ground, they found that the wood that held the lock in it's place has already rotten away, and so it was easy for them to get inside, and they gasped as they saw the chest filled with a load a gold coins and shiny gemstones. And as they started to rummage through the riches, they heard a loud snort and a neigh, and when they looked up, the horse was gone, as if she disappeared into thin air.

They stood, and picked up the chest, and left to go back to their ship that would vanish with them back to the sea. They would tell their captain that they had led the mare to the town and left her there, and make up a story as to how they found the treasure on their way, and the whole story with the strange horse will be forgotten. Little did they know that the for them, this short story was only the beginning of a much bigger one.


	5. Chapter 5

Written in the Stars

Chapter 5.

Eleven years later...

The sea and the sky above it were slowly darkening as night and a storm were swiftly approaching, and the small merchant ship called The Golden Tench was rocking on the still rather soft waves. The men on board were experienced sailors, and so there was no fear among the crew whether or not they were going to survive the coming weather. The winds were picking up as the crew made their last preparations against the storm. One of them, a sailor by the name of Joshua Rodrickson, a young man who barely started his adventures on the sea several years ago, stood by the railing and watched the dark, swirling waters below, when suddenly, something caught his attention. A strange shadow moving in the water. Turning away for just a second he called to his friend, but when he looked back to show him what he saw, there was nothing. However, from the other side of the ship came a terrified scream, as more men began seeing things in the depths. Now the captain himself descended from his perch at the wheel to have a look at what was upsetting his men. Nothing happened at first, but as he watched, he saw a mass of something black beneath the waves as something began to rise towards the surface. He squinted his eyes and as he looked, a head emerged from the water and everyone gasped, frozen in fear at the sight of the two glowing green eyes staring back at them. Then rain started falling gently from the sky. And then all hell broke loose.

The creature, whatever it was, jumped from the water, reaching incredible height with one flip of its large, powerful fin at the end of its tail.. As it lifted itself from the water, those who had better eyes could see the front of its huge, muscled body as it shot forward with its long neck and grabbed the nearest sailor into its jaws, and fell, with him screaming and thrashing helplessly back into the sea. In terror, the other men backed away to the other side of the ship, when suddenly more of these creatures emerged from the murky depths and one by one they picked the crew and vanished with them back in the waters as if they were never there in the first place.

One of them jumped high, high above the ground and landed on the deck, where immediately it turned its head, looking around as it searched for its prey. This one was bigger than the others, as far as Joshua could tell, and at the present he had the misfortune of being spotted by sad beast, as those huge, glowing eyes found his. A deep, proud neighing sound was heard in the darkness as the monster began moving towards him. He noticed that it only had front legs to move on land, but that didn't seem to make it any less fast than it was in the water. With a shaky hand he pulled out his sword and the creature roared in anger, shaking its head, flapping its long, dark, wet mane before it attacked.

He swung his sword as it hurled itself forward, and with luck he managed to slice its face slightly, but he could see that he only made it angrier than before. He looked at the creature with its long snout and sharp teeth ready to strike and he ran, hearing the beast behind him as it followed. But then, he saw as another sailor came running from the opposite direction, and, passing by him, he didn't see the creature's approach, not before he ran straight into its jaws. The beast caught the man by the neck and flung him into the sea, then, with a giant leap it followed after him, never to be seen again. And with that, it was all gone, along with most of the crew, including the captain.

He was about to speak, to see how many were still left, when the ship rocked suddenly and then a terrible creaking sound rang out from below. One of the remaining sailors screamed, but it was too late, as the ship ran into the rocks nobody noticed in the chaos. And as the ship's hull smashed into one of the reefs that were sticking out of the water, Joshua knew that he was most certainly not going to survive this.

The Black Pearl sailed swiftly through the water. It was a truly beautiful sight to behold, even in such a weather, yet the atmosphere on the ship was rather grim. Jack Sparrow knew he was being hunted, and the sea beneath him, even those very planks he stood upon seemed to glare at him in a most unfriendly way. In fact, he was sure he could see their eyes sometimes. It could just be the rum though, but he was sure he saw some eyes in the water just a moment ago. He shook his head and looked towards the front of the ship, and he saw William Turner, looking rather thoughtful. Everything now would depend on that boy and whether or not he'll figure out what to do… and not end up doing something entirely stupid as he always did.

A strange group of rocks suddenly appeared before them. A shipwreck sat on top of them, torn to pieces by the misfortunate event it has been though. The sea around them was quiet, and the place seemed deserted, but one should always remember not to rely on first appearances, for they can be very deceptive. As Will Turner left the ship without having a single clue what he was going to get himself into, they kept looking around nervously trying to be as quiet as possible, pretending that the ship wasn't even here.

Not far away from them, Will Turner was trying to search through the wreckage that he was led to believe was the Flying Dutchman, belonging to the terrifying captain Davy Jones, but this was hardly more than a few floating planks with a few half-mad, half-dead sailors clinging to them. He couldn't get anything out of these men except for their constant muttering about about monsters and sea demons, and he was starting to get the feeling that there was something very wrong. And that's when that… monstrosity of a ship crashed through the water, with waterfalls falling from its ancient sails and the crashing waves slowly settling around its rotting, brownish green hull. He stared as the ship came closer, and then he turned around, as he could swear he could hear something, a whisper in the dark, but right then, out of nowhere, the crew of the Flying Dutchman appeared, coming to collect the survivors. And though Will Turner was a good fighter, there were simply too many of them to count, and he was quickly incapacitated and taken on their own ship, where they were all now awaiting what was going to happen next.

What they didn't know however, is that they were being watched, for while the crew was busy herding and lining up the prisoners for the captain to inspect, a small figure of a young girl climbed the ship's side, sneaking on board of the Flying Dutchman. Carefully, she climbed up into the crow's nest and from her safe perch she watched as things were unfolding before her eyes that were easily able to see through the darkness. She observed the shaking forms of the terrified men below and the young man that seemed very out of place here where everything looked like it was about to fall apart soon. She was curious, and suspicious about that one, and she watched him warily, up until the moment when the captain made an entrance to the deck. Davy Jones walked proudly to the group of captives and brought himself to the eye level of one of them, a bloodied, quivering wreck of a man, lighting up his pipe and placing it in his mouth with enjoyment, smoke coming out as he spoke to the sailor softly. "Do you fear death?" he said, and she found herself captivated by the sound of his voice, such a rich tone with that strange, yet fascinating accent. "Do you fear that dark abyss? All your deeds laid bare, all your sins punished…" she chuckled lightly as the last word sounded as if he swallowed a barnacle while saying it, and she immediately covered her mouth hoping nobody heard her.

She watched as another man, a religious type by the looks of it, interrupted the captain's grand speech, and was quickly disposed of as he expressed his wish to die rather than serving the devil, and the captain turned to finish what he started, adding another unfortunate soul to his ship's collection. But then he turned towards the young man and she leaned forward over the railing to see better. The captain was very confused by the boy's presence on his ship, until the name of Jack Sparrow was mentioned, and then the captain turned, and his eyes fell straight upon the strange black ship that was hiding just out of sight. And then he vanished, just like that, into thin air, and the quick movement startled her, so much that she nearly fell down from the crow's nest, catching a thick rope just in time to steady herself. However, as she did, the tackle at the end of the rope rattled quite loudly and as she looked down, she found several members of the Dutchman's crew staring right back at her and their expressions were quite scary. She quickly jumped down and ran, but they were faster than they looked, and in a moment she felt a hand tightening around her waist, and a sword pressed to her throat. She glared at the fishman holding the blade, looking as if she wanted to fight, but then she sighed and allowed herself to be led away.

Davy Jones returned to his ship and everyone could see what a foul mood he was in. To think that the rascal Jack Sparrow would actually try to talk his way out of a debt that he was in every right to collect. That he would try to buy his way out of it. Jack Sparrow brought this on himself when he made that deal with him all those years ago, and while it was surely unfortunate for him to have his time wasted like that, it was none but his own fault that he couldn't deal with his rebellious first mate, or prevent the mutiny in the first place. For what kind of incompetent captain must he have been if his own crew agreed to turn against him at all? And he actually has the nerve to use it as an argument? But never mind, he thought. There was no way the pirate could collect so many wretched souls in such a short time, and he knew that they both knew it. He was Davy Jones, he had an eternity to wait for his prey and that was really all he needed to do for now. In three days time, alive or dead, Jack Sparrow will be his no matter what he tries to do. But for now, the captain of this ship was tired, he wanted to play and he wanted to sleep.

But as he walked back onto his own deck with the majority of his crew, one of those who remained on the Dutchman approached him. "What is it?" he barked, and the man pointed one hand to the back of the ship where he saw a young girl sitting on the deck being held down at sword-point, and he made his way over there to look at her. She was a rather pretty thing, looking barely over twenty-five, with pale skin and deep brown eyes with a slight tinge of gray in them, long hair flowing over her shoulders being a beautiful shade of silvery gray that almost gleamed in the darkness of the ship. She was dressed in simple grey trousers and white shirt with grey west hanging over it. Around her neck however, there was a simple, yet beautiful silver necklace formed of tiny stars hanging from a fine, delicate chain.

He stared at her for a minute, and then he turned to the man who led him here. "What is this-uh?" he asked. "We found her on the ship, captain. She was hiding in the crow's nest."

"Was she now?" the captain said, turning back to her and crouching slightly so he could take a better look at her. "And who might you be, yer little troublemaker, huh? Were you perhaps a part of that ruined vessel?" At that, the girl's eyes brightened for some reason and she shook her head, looking at the captain with a strange look in her eyes that he couldn't quite read, and he was slightly unnerved by this. "So who are you then? How did you get on my ship-uh?" She stopped smiling as if sensing she was making him uncomfortable, and she lovered her eyes to the ground. "You would hardly believe if I told you now, captain." she answered and he growled, rising to his full height. "I don't have time for games, girl." he snapped and turned to his first mate, who stood behind him faithfully as always. "Put her in the brig. Perhaps a day or two down there would make her more willing to talk. And as for this whelp, show him around-uh. He'll be here with us for a while." he mocked before walking away, and as several cold hands grasped her shoulders and hauled her to her feet, the young girl raised her eyes to look at the boy as he was lead away by the laughing crew of the Flying Dutchman.


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: Ok, this one is quite long, but you are finally going to get an explanation, I was looking forward to this too, there is just one thing I realised now, I forgot to mention that the events of Chapter 5 are happening about 11 years after the events of Chapter 4. :) I fixed it but I'm just putting it here so you won't be confused later. :) Happy reading..._

Written in the Stars

Chapter 6.

The first thing she noticed about the Flying Dutchman's brig was that it was a very wet place, as was the rest of the ship. Now for her, of course, that wouldn't be such a problem if it also wasn't very cold. Being stuck here in a cell where there really wasn't that much space to move wasn't at all pleasant, and it was difficult for her to sleep here, not mentioning the fact that she was beginning to get hungry. It was now her second day here and the captain hasn't come to question her yet, obviously trying to soften her up as he promised. She thought that maybe coming here wasn't such a good decision after all, but she couldn't resist, and now she would somehow have to deal with the consequences.

But as she sat in her cell, on the least wet spot she could possibly find, she, to her great surprise, got a visitor of an entirely different sort. The boy. He came down the stairs, silently as a thief, and stepped closer to the bars. He was a pretty young man, she supposed, though he was a little too young and a little too pretty for her own tastes. She however, noticed that he didn't look very well. He walked a bit stiffly, as if his back hurt, and she cocked her head to the side, wondering whether he's done something to anger the captain already.

"What happened to you?" she asked gently, as he stood in front of her cell, and Will Turner studied the young girl before him carefully. She stared at him with a concerned look on her face, but there was something very unnerving about her eyes, and he wasn't sure what to make of this. "I am fine." he replied at last. "Just a bit of this ship's hospitality. I've met someone here I didn't expect to meet."

"Who are you?" she asked. "My name is William Turner." he replied and she nodded in understanding. "Turner? Yes, I do remember hearing that name spoken on this ship. Is he your… father perhaps?"

"Yes, yes he is. He's slave on this ship like everybody else. But the question is, who are you? How did you get here?" She didn't answer his question immediately, instead, she looked in his eyes, her own eyes narrowed, as if she was looking for something that would confirm her whether she can trust him or not. Then she turned her head slightly to the side, still wearing that same expression, as if she was trying to remember something. After a while, she sighed however, and shook her head. "I am sorry mr. Turner, but… I don't seem to recall how I got here on this ship. I remember waking up in the water, but nothing before, perhaps I really was on that ship they mentioned, but I really don't know. I swam to the nearest thing I saw, which was, regrettably, this ship. When I saw the monsters on board, I tried to hide the best I could, but it didn't really worked out well, as you see, and now I'm here a prisoner as you."

She lowered her eyes to the ground in sadness, and he looked at her with sympathy, though there was something in the back of his head that kept nagging at him that she wasn't telling the truth, or at least not the whole truth. But he still smiled at her when she looked up. "I am sorry for you plight miss. But I can assure you, I'm not planning to stay on this ship. I came here for only one thing, and when I get it, I will return here for you and we will make our escape." He looked up and down to inspect the bars and the lock and nodded. "Yes, this won't be difficult to open, I am a blacksmith by trade, at least I used to be." He said, and she flashed him a smile, her eyes filled with gratitude and joy. "Thank you mr. Turner, I really can't thank you enough."

"Don't thank me yet. Just be ready by midnight." he waved it off as his voice returned to his previous, serious tone. "My father will prepare a boat for us, but we will have to move quickly." She nodded and he moved to walk away, but as he climbed the stairs leading up from the brig, he suddenly heard her voice again, a soft, melodious tone, she was singing, an old song that was strangely fitting for the atmosphere on this cursed ship.

 _A sailor's life, it is a merry life._

 _He robs young girls of their hearts' delight,_

 _Leaving them behind to weep and mourn,_

 _They never know when they will return…_

She kept singing, and he shook her head, as he went back to his duties with haste, not caring to be seen by the bosun while slacking. A strange girl this one was. She didn't seem to be so overly troubled by being on this ship as she tried to convince him, and he was trying to decide if she was stupid or just naive. Shaking his head again, he instead decided to concentrate on the task ahead, for tonight he was going to take the key from the captain, and leave to find the chest to free his father from this floating hell.

The night has fallen on the Dutchman, and as the whole ship was slowly falling asleep, only a few of the crewmen still finishing their remaining duties, and the lonely watchman on the deck, the ship went still for the night, the waves around her for once calm and tranquil. Will Turner stood hidden in the shadows, trying to avoid anyone who might still pass him on the deck, and waited. Finally, after two hours of standing in the cold night, he heard that infernal organ's play stop and slowly, he sneaked towards the captain's cabin. He looked around for any watching eyes, and then opened the door carefully, stepping inside. He walked deeper into the room, careful not to make a single creak, and he saw the captain sleeping soundly in front of his giant musical instrument, the tentacles hanging unmoving as he snored softly. Bracing his nerves against what he had to do, he set out to his work.

A few minutes later he walked out of the cabin, the key hanging on his neck as he went back to the boats where his father was already waiting, lowering one into the water. But as he walked closer to meet him, there was a deep, enraged roar to his right, and the sound of something heavy trampling on the wooden floor, before out of a darkness a monstrous black creature with glowing green eyes jumped towards him and smashed him against the railing, knocking the air out of him. He slid down the railing, dazed, as the creature towered over him, raising its head suddenly and baring a set of short, but very sharp teeth. Suddenly, there was a shout as Bill Turner came running over with a sword drawn to help his son, and the creature turned her head to glare at him with her eyes glowing wild, stopping him immediately. It then proceeded to lower its head and with one tug it removed the key from the boy's neck, and, placing it on the ground next to them, it grabbed him by the collar and with a proud snort it threw him over into the sea. Bill Turner yelled for his son and ran to the railing to look into the water and he was relieved to see he was alright and was currently swimming towards the boat. But as the old man turned around to see where the creature went, he saw that it was gone, and so was the key.

The next morning, everyone who was on the Dutchman surely wished they could be somewhere else. For the captain was beside himself with rage. Not that something like this was a rare occurrence, the captain's temper was as unpredictable as a storm. But today it was worse then they ever saw him, he was stomping around the deck, handing out punishments for free, with the much too willing assistance of his bosun. Not only was the key missing, but his newest charge was gone too, along with the girl they kept in the brig. The whole crew was lined up and questioned until he found the one who stood watch that night, but when it turned out it was Bill Turner who let his son off the ship, the punishment for the poor man was worse then any whipping he could have possibly endured.

"You wretched, insolent…" Jones bellowed as he put his claw around Bootstrap's neck, and it took him all his will to not just snap it right then and there. It wouldn't kill the man of course, but he surely wouldn't be very fond of moving his head for a time. "You think yourself entitled to undermine my authority, my will, on this very ship? I am the master of these seas-uh. I decide who live and die, and you, you will watch as I sentence your beloved son to death! Bosun?!" he turned harshly to the fish-like sailor to his right, who fought the urge to cower beneath his scorching gaze. "How is our course-uh?"

"The ship we've been tracking is now less than an hour before us, captain, and we're gaining on her steadily." he said, not looking in the captain's eyes. "Well," the captain continued, turned back to Bootstrap as he released his neck and the man touched it lightly, feeling the pain those sharp edges caused. "You will remember who your soul belongs to, mr. Turner. You made a deal with me and there's nothing that can help you escape it. Your son will learn that the hard way for taking is mine."

"Do you mean this?" a voice suddenly said, and Jones, snapping his head in its direction stared dumbfounded at the young girl that walked confidently along the deck towards them, not in the least minding his enraged expression. And in her hand, she held his key, looking rather pleased with herself as she stopped a few meters away. At least until he recovered from the inicial shock of her unexpected entrance and yelled. "Seize her." As two of his men moved forward to do so, she shot them a warning look and they stopped, something in her eyes telling them that they should. Her whole posture was different now from what they've seen before, she was standing before them proudly, without any fear, staring straight into the captain's eyes. Then, she relaxed slightly, took a step forward and handed the key to the captain, who silently took it into his tentacled hand. She bowed to him slightly and stepped back again. "I apologize captain, I snapped the cord when I was taking it from the little thief."

As she said that, Bill Turner's eyes widened as he looked at her, and a single, terrified word escaped his lips. "You?!" The captain, not knowing of their previous exchange, was looking at them in a slight bewilderment. "Yes, me." she said, looking at the man she met last night seriously. "I am sorry for the way I treated you son last night, I might have been a little too angry."

She turned to the captain. "And I am sorry for causing you such confusion, captain Jones."

"Who are you?" he demanded, and she twitched at his aggressive tone slightly, then flashed him a sweet, friendly smile. "My name is Silver. Silver Brooks. But you may perhaps know me better as Silvermane. We have met before, captain." she said, still smiling, but when she saw that none of the crew was "getting it", so to speak, she sighed and shook her head. "Alright, I see it would be perhaps better if I showed you." As soon as she finished her sentence, her whole form began to glow slightly in pale, green light, and in a blink of an eye, in an event so quick they couldn't even see it, there was no longer a girl standing before them but the figure of a large, white mare with a long, silver mane, looking over them and their shocked expression, her eyes settling on the captain eventually. And as they did, she surprised them once again when she spoke, her voice almost the same, just a tad deeper then it was when she was human.

"I must ask for your forgiveness captain, for keeping this a secret. I wasn't sure why you saved me, and since I grew rather fond of this ship I didn't know whether you wouldn't throw me out if you knew I was something more than a simple lost steed." The captain moved towards her slowly, and looked over her up and down, and she shook her head in mild amusement as she saw the look on his face, before she once again fell silent, sensing the seriousness of this situation. "It's you…" he said quietly. "But… who are you? Or rather, what are you?"

"Yes, that is the question of the day, isn't it?" she said, and turned towards the sea, watching as the sun climbed higher and higher into the sky. Turning her head slightly, she saw the whole crew watching her intently, except for those who had to watch over the ship's course, and so she looked back to stare at the water below, and started her story.

"I was originally born in Britain, Scotland, to be precise. I am sure you are familiar with these shores, captain, and the myths and legends that circle around their taverns. I am one of those legends, you see. My kind doesn't often leave the safety of our old homeland, the deep lochs of the scottish highlands, and the murky waters of irish rivers, we are very solitary creatures, and often then not we would spend our whole lives in the place where we came to be. But some of us are different, more adventurous than others, and those of us who dare to go that far fall in love with the sea once we find ourselves in it. That's how I came to be here, after all." She said, as she turned now towards them once more. "But to finally answer your question, I am a kelpie, a water demon, feeding on the flesh of the unwary that come too close to my waters." The captain listened to her tale carefully, but he looked rather unconvinced as he looked at her. "Aye, I know these legends well, but those are very well just that, legends-uh. Never in my life have I seen a creature like that." She looked at him then, looked into his blue eyes with her own, dark ones, and nodded. "Well, then you are going to see one now, after all, this isn't really what I look like, captain."

With that, her form shifted once more, and when it was over, there were many gasps uttered all around the ship, as the men processed exactly what they were seeing. The creature that stood, or lied on the ground before them mostly, standing on her hooved front legs was huge, big enough to look them in the eye even in this position. She still largely resembled a horse, but her fur was now pitch black and almost seal-like, shining in the sunlight. When her hind legs once were, now was a long tail, ending with a massive fin with several other, smaller fins growing along the length of the tail. Her mane hanged in thick black knots that resembled clusters of seaweed more than the actual hair. In her open mouth they could see the tips of sharp, pointed teeth, but it was her eyes that had the biggest effect on the crew, for they glowed with an unnatural, venomous green color, and Bootstrap paled visibly as he recognised the creature that attacked his son last night.

But he wasn't the only one, as the one man they recruited two days ago stepped forward and screamed. "That's… that's one of the demons that slaughtered the men on my ship!" he yelled, and then he ran away in fear. The captain's eyes widened as he looked at the creature in front of him, and saw that the edges of her mouth were lifted in something that strongly resembled a wicked looking smile. "That wreck, that was you?" he asked, and she nodded, before answering. "Well, not just me. I was hunting with others here, and by this brilliant chance, my path crossed with your ship's again. And so…" she said, and in a moment, she turned back into her human form, smiling kindly. "I couldn't resist coming back on board. A decade ago you saved my life, and I never had a chance to tell you how grateful I am. Except for that pile of gold I found for your men, but I'm sure they didn't tell you about my involvement in that, did they?" she suddenly laughed, and turned her eyes to the two men that acted as her companions on that day. They turned their heads away, but she could still see the small smiles playing on their lips that they were trying to hide.

She then took a step to the captain, and made another bow. "Now, captain, if you would have me, I would like to stay here for a while. You saved my life all those years ago and I now wish to help you, if you'll allow me." He studied her face for a while, and nodded, satisfied when he saw the honesty in her eyes, to which she answered with a warm smile that lit up her pale face. Then suddenly, there was a call from the crew as the ship they were tracking finally came into view, and the girl named Silver turned to look at it.

"Well then, I believe we have a prey to hunt now." she said, narrowing her eyes as she smiled. "Good. I was, after all, getting quite hungry."


	7. Chapter 7

_So after the last chapter you finally know what my character actually is (well, some of you may have guessed already, if so, you are very cool). Anyway, I've decided to choose a kelpie, as I wanted a creature for my story that would be somehow connected to the water and the sea, and had the form of a horse. Also, water horses are among my favourite mythological creatures. :) I've also decided that from now on, at the beginning of every story chapter, you will get some interesting information about kelpies, so you can learn something interesting about them along the way. :)_

 **Kelpie Fact No. 1** : While the legend of the kelpie originates specifically in Scotland, you can find many different "species" of water horses in many of the celtic parts of the world and Scandinavia, and they are basically very similar in nature. To name a few, while the kelpie is the most famous, the most dangerous of all water horses is said to be the Each-uisge, also from Scotland. In Scandinavia, they have a creature called bäckahästen, which actually means the brook horse in English, and it is from here that I took the surname for my character, Silver Brooks. :)

 **Written in the Stars**

Chapter 7.

The sea around the merchant vessel that was currently harbouring one William Turner was calm, and the sun was high in the sky, making the weather the ship was sailing through rather pleasant, but Will Turner knew very well that there was a storm brewing on the horizon as he saw the Flying Dutchman looming ominously in the distance like some great mythological sea monster, and he didn't yet have any idea that was exactly what the ship was going to unleash upon them. As the captain and his crew stared at the ship with dumbfounded expressions, Will has made his way along the ship's deck to get a closer look, using the borrowed spyglass to try to see what was going on, but the Dutchman was still too far away. However, as he stood there, with his eye pressed against the lenses, he heard a soft splashing sound behind him as something climbed onto the deck, and, turning around, he couldn't believe his eyes when he saw the young, grey haired girl he saw at the Flying Dutchman, and he turned to look at the ship in question, then back at her.

"How did you get off the ship? Did you manage to escape?" Despite the situation, he glanced at her apologetically. "I'm sorry I didn't come to get you. I was…"

"Attacked?" she finished for him, and he looked at her, slightly shocked, but then he looked into her eyes and saw something that wasn't there before, something hard and unforgiving. "Do not worry, I got out of that cell just fine. And I am sorry for having to say it like this, but I am, unfortunately, the creature who spoiled your brilliant plan yesterday. Nothing personal, really, I just really can't allow someone to threaten the captain's safety like that."

As he searched frantically around himself for any weapon he may find, she raised her hands slightly to assure him she didn't mean any harm. "Now mr. Turner, I did not come here to fight or to hurt, in fact I have come to offer you a deal." she said and Will Turner slowly turned, staring at her suspiciously. "What kind of deal?"

"We do not have much time, so I will be quick." she said, gesturing to the ghostly ship that was slowly approaching them. "The Kraken is going to come here soon. Now, as I understand it, you intent to free your father from his deal with Jones by any means necessary. I find that to be an incredibly noble cause, but you are very foolish if you think I would ever let you kill the captain. Davy Jones saved my life, and so it is my task now to protect his." Looking at him seriously, she took a step towards him.

"Now I am very well aware, that, even without the key, it technically shouldn't be difficult to just simply smash the chest or something with the heart still in it, so your quest still stands, but this can as well be done without unnecessary violence. And if you bring that chest to me first so I can see it is safe and undamaged, I am willing to let you use it as your bargaining chip."

"And what would I do something like that, when I can just get rid of the thing right away?" he retorted, his voice taking a sharp edge that she didn't like at all, and she stepped even closer to him, staring slightly up into his face. She was surprisingly small, but he could feel that power that emanated from her in that moment, and her anger with which she spoke.

"Because, and make no mistake, mr. Turner, the moment I tell the captain that I didn't find you here, he will set out after the chest. And since he can't step on the shore, wherever it is, he will send the crew along to retrieve it, and I will go with them, to keep an eye on things. And if something happens to the captain, I will make your life a living hell…" she stopped suddenly, as she remembered something else, something very important, and she smirked. "Though, I imagine you wouldn't want to do that anyway, as whoever kills Davy Jones will know the same hell himself."

"What… what do you mean by that?" he shouted, as she turned around to leave, and she stopped, turning her head to look at him. "Bring me that chest, mr. Turner, and I will help you free your father. And when you see your friend, Jack Sparrow, send him my regards. Tell him I'm looking forward to see him again." And with that, she climbed onto the railing, and as she was about to jump, she cocked her head to the side suddenly, as if she was listening for something, and smile spread across her lips. "It was nice meeting you, mr. Turner." she said. "But now, it is time for a feast." and she disappeared in the waves.

As soon as she was gone, Will Turner quickly climbed to the nearest mast to have a better view of what was happening. His only warning was a dark shadow in the water as the ship suddenly rocked and he was violently flung from the mast, hanging helplessly on a rope for a few seconds, before he managed to pull himself back up, and he watched, horrified, as the creature known as Kraken slowly began to destroy the ship, playing with it as if it was a toy, and devouring those it found on board. But as he watched, he could see that there was also something else swimming among the carnage, and he gasped as the caught sight of a great black fin splashing in the water before it dove beneath the waves, only for the creature to which the fin belonged to emerge from the water again, holding the body of some unfortunate sailor in his jaws. Then, in horror, William Turner watched as the creature began to eat. Unlike the Kraken, though, that just swallowed those poor men whole without having to use its teeth at all, this was a bloody job that the creature, whatever it was, was clearly enjoying, as it wallowed in the bloodied water, rolling around and tearing pieces of flesh as if it was a crocodile, never minding the giant squid whose gigantic arms were flailing all around her. It was strange, for it seemed as if the Kraken itself was mindful not to hurt the creature in the water, as whenever it was to accidentally hit it, or rather, her, with a tentacle, it would immediately stop its movement and carefully flung it in another direction.

Then, suddenly, the girl-beast below him raised her horse-like head and glanced directly up at him. Her green eyes stared into his for a second, and then she neighed loudly, a clear warning as it turned out, as in that moment one of the Kraken's tentacles wrapped around the mast he was standing at and broke it as if it was a match. Will Turner jumped as far as he could and landed in the water next to ship with a loud splash. He heard a loud crunching sound behind him, and turned, only to see the ship being crushed in half by two giant tentacles rapidly descending upon it.

And as the sounds of battle slowly died away, the Flying Dutchman sailed forward proudly, and Will Turner dove beneath a piece of a wooden wreckage, hoping they didn't notice. And as he did, he saw, not far away from him, as the dark figure of the water horse quickly turned and headed back for the ship, and he waited for a few seconds, before he followed her.

"I couldn't find him, captain. Either he managed to escape before he arrived here somehow, or his body is dead and at bottom of the ocean by now, in which case, your problem should be about solved, shouldn't it?" she asked the captain carefully. But Davy Jones had his brow furrowed in a rather scary expression of anger and concern when he turned towards her and the crew. "No, we cannot risk it. If the boy was here for the key, then it surely means Jack Sparrow knows where the chest is-uh. I'm sure he's heading there right now, and so we must do the same. Chart a course to Isla Cruces!" he shouted to his men. "Get me there first or there'll be the devil to pay." He ordered them angrily, and they left in haste, seeking to fulfill their captain's wishes. And as the ship turned it's course, Silver stood upon the railing, enjoying the breeze blowing from the ocean, and thinking just where was this journey going to take her next.


	8. Chapter 8

**Kelpie Fact No. 2** : Kelpie is a shape-shifting water spirit that can take various forms. To humans, it usually appears as a horse to lure them onto their backs, but sometimes the kelpie can take human form too, looking like a beautiful man, or woman, depending on the gender of their prey. Some legends suggest that some of the world's famous lake monsters, notably the Loch Ness monster, can actually be kelpies taking the form of water serpents. In this story though, kelpies have only three forms, their rather scary, natural form, the form of a horse and a human, that are actually quite similar in their appearance.

 **Written in the Stars**

Chapter 8.

It was now shortly after noon and the Flying Dutchman was making its way towards its destination, cutting the miles with a steady speed. The sun was high in the sky and shining brightly, but the crew didn't have time to enjoy that as they were busy pushing the ship to its limits trying to get their captain where he wanted to go as soon as possible.

Silver was currently standing on the deck, helping the crew hoisting some lines as she wanted to show the captain that she's not only good at catching prey for him, but that she could be useful around the ship as well. Not that she ever had much experience with a work like that, after all, what use would she have a for a ship, when most kelpies, though this wasn't her case exactly as she was a rather lazy swimmer most of the time, had no trouble outrunning even the fastest ships. Still, she was surprisingly strong and quick to learn.

She was told that it would take at least another night before they'll reach Isla Cruces, and so she has decided to spend the time building some confidence with the Dutchman's crew. Now that she didn't have to pretend anything anymore she could relax around them, but after the display she showed them they were afraid of her now, even though she voiced her desire to be on their side, which was perhaps even worse then when they were treating her with annoyance all the time, at least, in their case, because she wanted their friendship, and not their fear. But it was difficult for them to consider her one of them, not because she didn't look like a fish, but because she wasn't a human even if she looked like one. It was in the small things, the way she would cock her head in the most predatory way when she was curious, or how she would sometimes snort in a distinctly horse-like fashion when she was amused or irritated, and how her voice would sometimes ring like rolling gravel inside her throat like some kind of animal's when she growled angrily about something. And even though she really tried to act friendly around them they couldn't forget about what she really was. At least not at first.

She was walking around the ship when suddenly, she turned around the corner only to feel something huge smash into her, a figure of a man. She raised her head to look at him and found herself staring into the man's eyes, or rather, one eye of a man and the other one of a fish, a puffer fish to be precise, and she watched as the spikes on his cheek moved as it inflated and deflated again with his every breath. She recognised him as Koleniko, and she couldn't help but smile, for he was the one person on this ship who she would go as far as to call him cute in his appearance. Realising she's been staring a bit, she lowered her eyes and took a step back. "Are you alright?" she asked calmly. "I am so sorry, I wasn't paying much attention."

"Don't worry about it, missy." he replied, shifting his weight uncomfortably. "I should've watched where I was going."

"Ok." she said, smiling. "Let's just agree it was the fault of us both then." she looked at him and her eyes twinkled mischievously. "It's Koleniko, isn't it? I remember you from my last time here, but I'm happy to meet you nonetheless." She offered him her hand then, and he stared at it for a minute before slowly placing his own, spiky hand into hers and shaking it, making her face brighten with joy. "Aye, me as well, though I'd wish you would've shown us your true colours sooner. And I should probably apologize to you."

"For what?" she asked him, her face frowning in confusion. She hated that he was acting so nervous because of her, as if she was going to bite his head off if he came too close. "I… ehm… threatened you with a sword when you first came on board. And then there was that incident when you kicked that bucket and spilled water all over the deck and I may have… overreacted a bit, and then the…"

"Mr. Koleniko," she interrupted him gently. "You think I remember every time you and I had a little… disagreement? Or me and anyone else for that matter?" She laughed softly. "You don't need to worry, I wouldn't hold it against you even if I didn't forget about any of that years ago. I wasn't a very pleasant creature to be around those days either."

"Well, you were wounded. And I can't imagine what it must have been like to wake up on a ship full of monsters." He lowered his head and she widened her eyes, opening her mouth in slight shock at his words. She shook her head slowly, and placed a gentle hand on his arm, causing him to meet her eyes again. "Monsters?" she asked him, studying his face for a moment. "Darling, I am the only monster on this ship. You… you are all men, and there's no amount of sea fauna or seaweed," she said, glancing down at his clothes. "that could change that, or prevent me from seeing it. And when it comes to apologies, I am sorry about snapping at your fingers all the time." she smiled and her eyes shone brightly when he returned the gesture, but then, suddenly, there was a cry from somewhere above them. "Koleniko, back to work!" It was Jimmy Legs, the bosun, and that meant their little talk was over. Koleniko smiled at her apologetically. "Sorry, miss, gotta go now, or he'll have my head."

"Well, we certainly wouldn't want that, would we?" she watched him fondly as he left, but then, making a decition she ran to catch up with him. "Hey, do you need help? I can give you a hand and we can chat some more maybe?" she hoped that he won't refuse, and so she was very happy when, after considering it for a while, he nodded and she followed behind him to the upper deck.

That evening Silver was sitting on the deck, watching the stars that were visible through the rolling clouds. There were only a few sailors up there now, keeping the ship in order as it continued its journey forward. It was amazing to travel on a ship, to be able to just sit there, feeling it rocking on the waves, breathing the fresh night's air, and the soft wind ruffling her hair. Suddenly the clouds up on the sky parted and the moon was revealed behind them. Its light reflected in her eyes and she parted her lips in awe as she stared at its beauty, when the silence of the ship was pierced by the beginning of the captain's nightly play. She sighed as she listened to it. It always started so softly, but then it would get darker and harsher as he relived his pain all over again in his memories. She looked back at the moon and began to softly hum the same melody to herself, only in a much gentler tone.

"Hey, you look like a little sea fairy sitting out here alone." she turned when she heard a voice and she smiled as she saw Koleniko standing there. "Well I kinda am." she said, and he shook his head in agreement before walking closer to her. "Yeah well, you shouldn't be so alone out here. Would you like to go down to the crew's quarters with me for a while?"

"Oh I'm not sure I'd be welcome there." she said sadly, with her eyes lowered. "Oh, nonsense. I've talked to the boys and they'll be happy to meet you now." She turned to him fully now. "You did?" she said, standing up and smiling widely, and he replied while gently taking hold of her hand. "Sure, come on, let's go." And she followed him down to the depth of the ship.

A few minutes later she found herself indeed sitting among the Dutchman's crew and as much as it was incredible they were much more accepting of her than before. Nervous at first, but Koleniko kept encouraging them to talk and soon, they were asking all kinds of questions that were nagging on their minds but were pushed back by their fear, and she was laughing heartily in amusement at their curiosity as she answered them. They were drinking rum, trying to make her drink some too, which she did as slowly as she possibly could without seeming uncomradely, though that spicy liquid did not sit well on her tongue at all. Some of them were playing a round of Liar's Dice, and she used that time to study them carefully. Every possible kind of sea fauna you could think of, you could find on this ship. There was of course Clanker, the barnacle man, and Hadras, with his head stuffed in that giant shell. Then there was, or rather, were, Two Head, the Twins, who has taken it a bit too far with their relationship, and Morey, who she found to be one of the most bizarre yet fascinating members of the crew.

And then there was, of course, Bill Turner, who hasn't quite sprouted anything interesting in particular yet, although he left shortly after she came in. He outright refused to talk to her, and she respected that, she understood. Though she hoped that it would change one day. Thinking of him now, she felt bad for the old man. He had a kind face, and a kind heart, and she couldn't imagine him actually being on this ship for eternity. She didn't lie to his son when she told him she would help him, she understood the importance of family, and if she could free Bill Turner without putting the captain at any real risk, she would do it. She suddenly felt very tired after the long day and so she carefully excused herself from the company of her new friends and went to find a place to sleep for the night, knowing that tomorrow would bring new challenges and new adventures.

The blue sea around her was beautiful. It was calmer down here, almost silent, unless there was a storm of course, but when the sea was calm, it was almost as if no worries existed here, in the endless blue of the ocean. If she swam just a little further down, she could explore the reefs and admire the various and colourful forms of life that lived there, for while there the island may seem dead to some eyes, the sea around it was still teeming with it. But she couldn't, for she was here on a mission.

They arrived here close to noon, and yet while she knew that the crew have done what they could, they still arrived late. There was the Black Pearl, Jack Sparrow's ship, sitting on the waves, her captain currently walking in the distance with a shovel over his shoulder accompanied by a girl and a man in what used to be a uniform, who looked like he has gone through some seriously bad times in his life as far as she could tell. And just as she expected, the crew was send out of the ship and onto the shore to get the chest. It was the first time the Dutchman submerged with her on board, and it was an exciting feeling, holding on to the ship's rigging as its bow plunged into the water and went deeper, and to her great amusement she turned her head just as they hit the water and she saw the force of the water blow the captain's tentacles all around his face. It looked rather funny and she would giggle if she wasn't underwater.

Turning to a form that was more suited to this environment, she swam around in wild circles for a while, enjoying the sensation of being in a water again, before heading upwards, towards the surface. Around her, she saw the crew doing the same, and she stared in amazement on Maccus, who, more than than anything, actually resembled a hammerhead shark as she watched him swim. They left the water shortly after that and she followed the crew on the sand, turning back into a human again. She looked to her belt and she touched the sword hanging there. She's been given the weapon in the morning, along with a short lesson from Koleniko as to how to actually use the sword just in case she might end up in a situation when that kind of knowledge would be helpful.

After a short walk they came upon the place where the chest was burried, however, the first thing that caught her attention was the scene happening just a short way away from them. There were three men fighting rather viciously, though it seemed more like a dance of sorts. There was Jack, the man from before and… Will Turner? Surprised, she looked around, but she couldn't see any other vessel around here. She thought he arrived on the Black Pearl, but now she realised that he wasn't with them before, so how did he get here? Unless of course… she looked back the way they came, towards the place where the Dutchman was hidden under the water, and her eyes widened.

"The boy's crazy…" she mumbled, and she squinted her eyes to look at the men carefully. None of them was holding the chest and so she turned her attention to the hole in the ground in from of them. There was a wooden chest on the ground next to the hole, but she was sure that was not what they were looking for. She however noticed a pile of what seemed to be letters scattered about and she bent down to pick one. Opening it, she quickly scanned the page, and she gasped at the contents. Those were love letters, and there were many of them. She picked a few more, and her eyes filled with tears the more of those she read. They were beautiful, so beautiful and full of emotions, of love, and devotion, and hope. She of course knew of the captain's tragic story, she had many years to learn everything that was possible to learn about him, and there was a strong hatred brewing in her for the sea goddess who caused him so much grief. Reading those letters has only made it worse, for surely she must have known about the words he's written on those papers on those lonely nights he's spent thinking about her during those first ten years, when his love for her didn't hurt him still but gave him hope, and about the depth of his feelings for her.

She sighed deeply, shook her head, and placed the letters back on the ground. There was no time to think about this now. She looked back to the chest by her feet, but there was nothing around that could possibly hold a human heart. Glancing back to the fighting men, she saw them running towards the forest, and she nodded for the crew to follow them. But then she noticed that the young woman was heading into the forest too, and she seemed in a hurry. Seeing as the crew was on their way towards the men, she decided to follow her instead, and she knew such a task would be much easier to do on her hooves rather then on her feet.

Elizabeth Swann was following the two fools who, though they were, at the end, rather nice, always seemed to put their own interests above those of others, though they often end up doing it in a rather stupid way. But right now, they were stealing the chest, and since her beloved was a rather preoccupied acting foolish himself, she was the one who had to get it back. But as she ran through the forest, she had a distinct feeling that she was hearing footsteps behind her. As she stopped and listened, she heard it more clearly and realised it was the thundering sound of a running horse. Confused, she stood there and listened, waiting for the animal to emerge from within the trees, but then she remembered what she was doing here originally, and she ran away again, forgetting about the incident.

Silver ran through the forest quickly, but as the trees got thicker, it was increasingly difficult to keep it up. By the time she met up with the crew and made her way back to the beach with them, the chest somehow ended up in Jack Sparrow's hands. And so it was due to a series of unexpected and rather confusing coincidences that they all found themselves back in the shallows, fighting what she would call a rather epic battle. As her horse-like features slowly melted back into her human face, she walked over the sand, glancing at the boys as they fought the rest of the group, none of them actually noticing her as she walked to the the boat bobbing in the shallows.

"Captain Sparrow!" she called out to him, and he turned, his eyes widening at the sight of an unfamiliar face, human face at that. "And who might you be?" he asked in his characteristic, slightly drunk sounding voice. "That doen't really matter." she replied, taking out her sword. "I'll be needing that chest back."

"I'm afraid I can't do that, sweetheart. I'm pretty sure I need the chest a lot more than you." She sighed, and then she attacked. Jack threw the chest into the boat and raised his own weapon to defend himself, and they made their way along the beach as they circled each other, with her trying to take a one successful swing at him, and him deflecting her sword easily. It was apparent he was the better swordsman, and he smiled at her as she finally stopped her efforts. "Darling, I don't know what you're trying to do here, but you need a bit more training before you can take me on. Now how about you stop wasting my time and I won't waste you right here, savvy?"

She smiled, panting a bit, but she wasn't yet done, not by a longshot. "You know, you're right. I gotta ask for more lessons when I get back to the Dutchman. Then again, I don't really need them, do I?" she said, the end of her question turning dark as she herself changed, and everyone suddenly stopped what they were doing and stared at the white horse who now stood before the pirate, quietly fuming in her silent rage. There was a surprise in the man's face undoubtedly, but his wide eyes were also filled with something else. Recognition.

"You…" he said, and she took a slow step forward, forcing him to back away a little. "Aye," she said, "it's me. I get that you did not recognise my face, Sparrow, but I'm glad you recognise this one. You still need to answer for your sins, and this time, I won't let you get the better of me so easily." she said, and her eyes began glowing as her fur turned to black, inky skin, and soon there wasn't a horse standing there, but a monster, who shook its head like an enraged bull and jumped. The fight that followed was ruthless. Whatever reason she had to attack the pirate, she wasn't going to waste this opportunity. She reared up, pushing herself upwards using her powerful fin to kick at him with her hooves that would surely be able to deliver a crashing blow if she managed to hit something with it, but so far he managed to fend her off.

She however, made the mistake of forgetting about the others. Slowly, in their fight, she and Jack made their way back to the boat, and that was when she suddenly heard a creaking behind her and she turned her head, just enough to see the boat being toppled on top of her. She neighed as it fell, fortunately not heavy enough to hurt her, but heavy enough to take her a few moment to get from under it. When she did, she saw the rest of their gathering fighting again, but when she looked around, she saw that there was something wrong. "Stop!" she shouted. "Stop it now, you fools!" she screamed again and for some reason, they listened. "Where is that bloody chest?" she asked, and they were all looking around. And then Silver finally noticed it, there was one of them missing. "Where is that man who was with you?!" she rounded on the woman who now stood next to her.

The Dutchman's crew ran forward to try and find the man who stole the chest, but Silver knew very well that he will probably be long gone by now. As she wanted to call to them though, she heard the sound of splashing behind her and saw Jack and the rest of his team quickly making their way back to the Pearl. Some of her friends ran past her to try and catch them, but she put her hand on Maccus' shoulder and whispered. "No, let them be for now, we'll catch them later. We failed, we should get back to the Dutchman now." she said, and he nodded solemnly, before commanding his men and, entering the water, they swam back to their ship.


	9. Chapter 9

**Written in the Stars**

Chapter 9.

So I think it's time to tell you more about my past. You know, as a kelpie, you get to live a long time, if fact, you get to live forever if you're lucky, but you're not immortal though, no, no we can be killed, even though it's not easy, but we'll get to that later. I was born in the year 1598, about 150 years ago now, and it was about 60 years ago that I came to settle here in the Caribbean. I was, you could say, a bit of a free spirit at the beginning, flying though the oceans like I was a bird in the sky, just enjoying the warm waters of these seas, riding on their waves as if they were wild horses, chasing down hurricanes and playing in the storms as if that wasn't a very stupid thing to do even for someone like me. When my mate came back to meet me occasionally, we got to do these things together. He understood my passion for this place, he's been through it all himself. Oh he was a beautiful man, and even more beautiful stallion, pitch black with deep, dark eyes and a long, dark mane that went down all the way to his fetlocks, in his human form he wore it tied into a nice, neat ponytail.

We hunted together as well. We would often find ourselves a village or a small town, coming out of the sea at dusk to feed. Hunting was easier here as well, as most of the settlements were situated right next to the sea or but a small distance away, and so it was an easy job to just snatch whoever happened to be stupid enough to come close to you, and vanish with them into the vast ocean where no traces of them would ever be found. Though when I was alone, I would often just feed on fish that were just too easy to catch beneath the surface, sharing my snacks with sharks during such occasions. I always loved these beautiful, fascinating creatures, and I would sometimes swim down there in my human form, playing with them and petting them as if they were cats. I swear they often acted that way too.

Those days, I wasn't very fond of human company, but that changed when Darkstorm, my mate, suddenly vanished from my life forever. Though kelpies do not usually mind living alone, I was used to having at least some company from time to time and having those seas for myself began to feel rather suffocating after a time, cause, after all, sharks do not speak. Not many kelpies lived here in the Caribbean at that time, and so I decided to embrace my human side a bit more than my fellow kelpies would appreciate, but I found out that I didn't mind. At the beginning I would mostly just spend my time in the harbour, watching humans from the water unseen as they went about their business, but later, as soon as I gathered enough courage I began joining them on land, and I found out it was much easier to blend in with their crowds then I originally thought. That was the first time when I fell in love with a human too, but that is a story for another day.

For now, let's skip a bit further through time, shall we? I am sure that by now, you have noticed my… slight resentment towards Jack Sparrow, yes? There is a reason for that of course, but I will tell you about it later. The thing is, in the past years Jack Sparrow has cause me a great deal of grief and it took me a lot of time to get over it. We were both younger then, but, though he might have forgotten me, I have never forgotten his face, or what he has done, and through the many years that followed I often wished to have the opportunity to have my revenge. Then, one day, I was given exactly that opportunity.

Those of you who are familiar with Jack Sparrow's story will surely recognise the island I spoke of before and the ship that made it's way there those eleven years ago, before my story began, as the Black Pearl, now captained by the man named captain Barbossa. I actually met the men only years after this, he was one of the few pirates that ever had my respect, but back then I was grateful to whoever was in charge of that vessel for delivering the Sparrow right where I wanted him to be. And if I was actually thinking about what I was doing, I might have even killed him that day, but I wasn't. Blinded by my hatred for him, I failed to notice the gun in his hand, and just as I ran at him, the next thing I know there is a bullet in my shoulder.

Of course that wouldn't be such a problem if the bastard wasn't so incredibly lucky. Like I said earlier, there are a very few things that can actually kill a kelpie, but one of the things that can is actually silver. I know, it's quite ironic, isn't it, considering my name and all, but I've always loved the colour and the metal itself, and it has never hurt me before. But anyway, I guess there must have been some silver within the bullet cause as soon it entered my body I felt a hot, stabbing pain that I have never felt before in my life, it almost blinded me, and all I could think of was to run and so I did. I jumped into the water and swam away. I don't know for how long I was swimming, I don't think I even knew which way was I swimming, but eventually I couldn't go any further, and so I dragged myself onto a little island, well, it was barely anything but a sandy speck of land sticking out of the sea, and there I finally collapsed with exhaustion. And it was there where I was, due to some unbelievable coincidence, found by Davy Jones, who saved me and by doing so, earned my undying friendship and loyalty for the rest of my life.


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N: So I have to apologize to everyone who have already read this chapter, I know I kinda contradicted myself with Jack being dead already, I was a bit tired when I was writing this last night and it completely slipped my mind, but I fixed it and hopefully my brain won't short-circuit on me like that again. :)_

 **Kelpie Fact No. 3:** Kelpies would usually appear before humans in the shape of a horse, the legends telling of either black or white horses. In some stories though, such horses can be recognised as kelpies due to some characteristic features, for example, its cold skin that resembles that of a seal and its mane, which is said to be constantly wet and filled with water weeds. In my story, kelpie's colour depends on the gender, males are always black, and females are always white horses.

 **Written in the Stars**

Chapter 10.

To say that the captain was furious would be an understatement of the century. Silver, at least, was not part of the crew really, so the captain did not punish her physically like it was in their case. Still, the harsh glare he was sending their way was nearly strong enough to burn a hole through her skull. It didn't seem like he held her personally responsible for what happened, but she felt guilty nonetheless. After they came on board the captain wanted her to recount everything that has transpired since they left and so she did, telling him of her fight with Sparrow and how, when everyone was distracted, someone from Sparrow's group managed to slip away with the chest. She was angry with the others and with herself, but it was a little too late for that now.

The only reason the captain wasn't breaking any bones was, because, Jack Sparrow was finally dead. At the end it came as somewhat of a shock for Silver, and something of a disappointment, as she couldn't see his death from up close as Jones ordered to stay on the ship. And though they both should have felt relief and joy at finally watching the pirate's destruction under the Kraken's ruthless power, this victory was a bitter one.

It was about two days after the incident and Silver stood on the deck with her captain. In those two days she barely left his side, feeling concern for him. He was more gloomy than usual, lashing out at anyone who dared to pass too close by him and her own presence was tolerated only because she wisely decided to stay silent. She could tell that he was worried and she had no idea what could she do to help him. The chest could be God-knows-where by now, and she herself was very anxious, fearing for his safety. She knew that whatever that man was going to do with the chest, it was not going to be anything good, and the anticipation was driving them both mad. On the third day however, their uneasiness of not knowing what was about to happen was finally at an end. She was helping the crew with the sails, watching the captain as he stood up on the helm, staring at the sea, his eyes distant, when suddenly she shuddered as a sudden gust of cold, chilly wind swept past her, and she had a bad feeling as she looked back at him.

She jumped down from the mast she was currently hanging from as she saw him standing there, unmoving. His head was low as he touched his chest as if it was bothering him, his breath short and ragged as if he was in pain. She approached him, placing a hand on his shoulder, her eyes full of concern as she looked at his face. "What's wrong, captain?" she asked him softly and he snapped his head towards her, straightening himself as he replied, his voice empty. "We must sail to Port Royal." As he said that, he moved to walk away, and her eyes followed after him, her expression surprised, before they narrowed in confusion and suspicion. "Wait… why on Earth would you want to go to...?" Then, her eyes widened in realisation and she ran after him, placing a hand on his chest. "You do not want to go anywhere, do you? You are being summoned." It was really more of a statement than a question, but he nodded solemnly, confirming it, and she let out a heavy sigh as she put a hand on his, gently curling her fingers around his claw in an attempt to reassure him of her support. "Then we must go immediately." she agreed and he gave out the orders, the ship submerging, travelling below the sea where it's supernatural power allowed it to travel much faster, and Silver would greatly enjoy the scene under different circumstances, if she currently wasn't so afraid for the captain's life.

Several hours later they emerged again, as they arrived to their destination, causing quite an uproar among the simple folk that lived in the port city. She recalled the few times she's been here before, not really in the city, no, but she would often swim through this area in the past and as always, she had to turn her head to admire the tall and proud fortress in the background. As they sailed into the harbour however, she saw the captain's eyes looking elsewhere and she followed his stare to a nearby building overlooking the harbour and there, on an open balcony, she saw a figure of a man. As soon as he came into their view, she noticed Jones taking his head off and placing it on his chest in greeting and she glared at him, surprised, before she returned her attention to the man on the balcony, eying him with exasperation.

She couldn't see much beyond his proud posture as he stood there, watching his fleet in the harbour they just obviously became a part of, but even from this distance she could feel his eyes on her as he was staring at her rather intently. She didn't know yet who he was, but she was sure she would get acquainted with him soon. And sure enough, as soon as the Dutchman stopped in the harbour they were boarded, armed soldiers aiming dozens of weapons at them, asking wordlessly for their compliance. She growled under her breath in frustration, not wanting to just surrender to anybody like that, but she didn't want to cause the captain, or anyone of the crew any harm, and so she lowered her head slightly in a submissive position as she was led out of the ship towards the city. It was surprising but whoever was behind this, he wanted to talk to her first even before the captain.

So now she couldn't help but being slightly curious about him. Armed guards were currently leading her to his office. They stopped in front of a door and knocked lightly, and a voice from the inside replied, giving them the permission to enter. She was pushed inside then and the two guards stood still on each side of her as she looked around. It was a smaller, but nicely decorated room, filled with luxury and comfort. On one side, the wall was filled entirely with a huge map of the world painted on it, which she found rather beautiful. She glanced out of the still opened balcony door through which she could see the Flying Dutchman and she was hoping that everyone there was alright. And then she looked to the great desk by the opposite window and she saw the man sitting behind it.

That was the first time Silver laid her eyes on the man named Cutler Beckett, and she was surprised to say the least. The soldiers on the ship has already told her his name, and she realised she could have expected that. She heard about him before, after all, nobody could live in the Caribbean these last few years without hearing the name of the East India Trading Company's governor and his exploits in the area. He had quite a reputation, but she had never actually seen him before and she did not expect him to look like the man who was standing, or rather, sitting in front of her now. He was still rather young, for a human, with a handsome face and sharp, piercing blue eyes that kept looking straight at her as he motioned for her to sit, and she did so, gracefully lowering herself into one of his armchairs. He was wearing an elegant and expensive looking clothes, and a white wig, a classic sign of his status as an important person. All in all, he made an impression on her, and despite feeling rather apprehensive towards him, she still returned his gesture as he smiled at her.

"Well," he said. "This is a fine meeting, indeed. I must say when I was informed of your presence upon the Flying Dutchman, miss Brooks, I was not expecting someone quite like you." He looked her up and down, and she felt slightly uncomfortable under his scrutiny, but then she dismissed it as she paused. "Who told you about me?" she asked, and he nodded to his men, who, leaving only for a few seconds, suddenly placed a heavy object on the table. "The same man who brought me this." he replied, and she turned to her head to look at it. It was the chest, and she gasped quietly, and then again as she looked at it closely and saw that it was, in fact, opened. There were deep scratches on the lock part, it's delicate design damaged, and she growled in anger, before actually opening her chest, and any expression on her face fell as she saw the heart inside, beating in a calm, almost hypnotising rhythm. She reached down to touch it, but the chest was quickly snatched from her. She glared at Beckett in shock, and he answered her unspoken question.

"It wasn't easy to get into that, yes. But I make sure to employ only the most capable of people, those on whose efficiency I can rely on. Now, let's get down to business, shall we?" he said, almost cheerfully, in his highly sophisticated british accent. "I'm sure you know who I am by now, so there's no need for introductions. As you can see, I am in possession of Davy Jones' heart, and therefore, the Flying Dutchman, its crew, and indirectly, you as well."

At that, she looked at him, a bit offended. "I do not belong to the ship, lord Beckett." she said offensively, putting an emphasis on his name to show him that she indeed knew who he was. "If I wanted to leave, I would have every right to do so."

"Under different circumstances perhaps." he nodded. "But as it turns out, you are a person who could be of great use to me if properly motivated, and I think…" he said slyly, leaning over the table. "I think, for whatever reason, you would not leave our dear captain to a fate that could possibly lead to his death. But, speaking of motivation, there is a certain plan I wish to follow, and for that purpose, I would like to extend to you an offer of a deal."

She stared at him for a second, before she sighed and leaned back in the armchair. "I heard about you indeed, lord Beckett." she said, speaking softer this time. "And I am not sure dealing with you is the best of my options."

"It is your only option," he replied. "Unless of course you are willing to count your own possible death as another." She turned around when she heard the sounds of the two soldiers unsheathing their swords, and she looked at the weapons with a surprise. They were made of silver, and the metal was glinting in the sunlight. She raised from the armchair quickly and snapped her head back to Beckett. "How do you know of this?" she asked, her voice harsh, and he smiled at her casually before answering. "It is imperative to one's success to know the weaknesses of his possible enemies." he said, standing up as well and walking around the desk towards her. "But that doesn't have to be the nature of our relationship. I am a man of civilised manners. If that is a trait we share, I am sure we can reach some sort of arrangement." There was a plate with several glasses and a bottle on the desk beside him, and he took a glass then and, pouring some liquid into it, he handed it to her. She eyes the contents of it carefully. "Don't worry, it's wine." he said, giving her a friendly smile. "No doubt a creature with such a refined taste as you surely are could not stand the taste of the vile drink those pirates are so fond of." He went to sit back behind his desk, and she followed, taking a sip of the wine as she did so, enjoying the taste. This was definitely a drink she was going to like.

She sat back down, and studied his face for a while. He was a ruthless man, she knew that, and all her instincts told her to be wary of him, but there was something about him, about the way he carried himself, that she found quite fascinating, and she wondered if there was, perhaps, something to gain by working with this man. Besides, he was right, she wouldn't leave the captain alone in this. She knew that Jones wasn't stupid, but she also knew of his temper, and with a man like Beckett that could get him into serious trouble. Someone would have to keep him out of that. And of course, there were those silver swords to consider...

"So, miss Brooks? How can the East India Trading Company be of servise to you?" he asked suddenly, surprising her with his question, but she of course knew what he meant. Propping her elbows against the table, she looked at him with a sigh. "There are only two things that I would want, lord Beckett, that would grant you my… alliance. To protect my captain, and Jack Sparrow's head on a stake. Since Jack Sparrow already is dead, that one is off the table, but if you can promise me that Davy Jones will be safe, then I am sure we'll get along quite well. I am, after all, not very fond of pirates."

"Oh, I am not surprised. Our dear old Jack, of course. It's amazing how he always managed to find himself in trouble by antagonising the wrong kind of people." he said with a smile, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "And you say that he's dead? Very interesting… and convenient. Your commitment to the captain on the other hand is something I found rather fascinating, if not commendable, pray tell me, what reason might spark such loyalty?"

"He saved my life." she answered simply.

"Ah." he breathed in his calm voice. "That is understandable then. Does it have something to do with Jack perhaps?" Earning himself a short nod from her, he continued his questioning. "Of course it does. Would you care to tell me why do you hate him so much? It is an interesting thought to consider, what he could possibly do to make an enemy of someone like you."

"If you have the time. This story is a bit longer."

"There's always enough time for a good story." he answered. "The fleet will not leave until tomorrow. You may take your time." Seeing that he was really interested in hearing her tale, she lowered her head in a slight, respectful bow, took a sip of her wine and searched through her memories, beginning her story with a question.

"Have you ever heard of a certain Spanish captain named Armando Salazar?"


	11. Chapter 11

_A/N: Ok so this is the first chapter where Salazar appears, alive this time. I honestly hope that you like him, we do not have much video material of his living self to take as a reference, but I hope my Salazar seemed believable in this. This is just a flashback, it will be a while since he actually appears in the story, but I hope I made you happy for now. :)_

 **Kelpie Fact No. 4:** It's not quite sure where the name kelpie comes from, but it's probably of a Celtic origin, from the Gaelic words calpa or cailpeach, which translates as a haifer, or colt, an expression for a young horse. The first time this word was used as a name for a mythological creature was sometime along the year of 1759 in an ode written by an English poet William Collins, An Ode on the Popular Superstitions of the Highlands of Scotland.

 **Written in the Stars**

Chapter 11.

About twenty years ago…

The sun was shining brightly over the lively city of Havanna that summer day when she first appeared in its port. She was living in the Caribbean for almost forty years now and for the last ten years, she was doing it alone. And though it was a rather bleak experience at first, ever since she decided to leave the seas and step on land from time to time, life for her has become much happier. She would travel from town to town, often finding her way into a tavern, where she would entertain the patrons, singing songs with her beautiful voice, which always managed to gain her some easy money, and some easy prey, as there was always one or two men of a more nefarious sort who would follow her outside the tavern with a quite different entertainment in mind. All in all, humans were a fascinating lot to watch, though most of the time she would watch them like a cat would look at a bird chirping on a tree; they were food for her. But kelpies were always a rather complicated creatures, with equal capacity for being both cruel and merciful, and in time, she developed a fondness for these mortal creatures, at least for some of them. Though it wasn't always the case, she would often prefer to feed on those who, in turn, preyed on the innocent, like the pirates she often met in the less… decent towns of the Caribbean.

Havanna, however, was different. This city was a crown jewel in these waters, even she could recognise that, it had a unique beauty. In later years, she would say that it's because it was built by the Spanish, but that first day she was just enjoying it's wonderful atmosphere, it's colourful visage and its charm. The fresh wind from the sea was bringing in the smell of the water, and it was making her quite giddy to explore as she walked through the streets and alleyways. She was wearing a simple, yet elegant blue dress embroidered with a fine olive thread patterns that she purchased upon her arrival here, her long hair tied in a plait. She treaded through the city, stopping occasionally to stare at the sights it had to offer, and yet she still felt like there was something missing.

So several minutes later she found herself sitting on the roof of one of the buildings, well out of view of any watchful eyes, but well enough in the view to watch the people on the plaza beneath her, walking around a beautiful ornate fountain in the center of it. If she craned her neck in the right angle, she could see the ocean over the buildings to her right. Sitting up here, watching the people as they went about their business, slowly eating an apple and letting the soft wind gently blow into her face, she was quite enjoying the afternoon when suddenly, she heard voices from down below and she leaned over the edge to see better. A group of soldiers just walked from around the corner. They seemed to be waiting for someone else, and Silver was watching them from her perch on the roof with a great amount of curiosity. They were dressed in elegant, black and white naval uniforms, one of them, a stern looking man wearing an eye patch across his left eye, was speaking to the others in quick Spanish, a language that she, sadly, never had the opportunity to learn, and so she just continued to sit and watch. It was then when another man emerged from the busy streets to join them, and as soon as he came into her view, Silver's heart nearly skipped a beat at the sight of him. He was obviously their captain, that much was certain by the look of his striking, pristine white uniform, but it was his face that her eyes were mostly drawn too, for as sure as the night would come at the end of the day, he was the most beautiful man she has ever seen in her long life. His Spanish origins were quite prominent as she studied him carefully, her eyes skimming over the details of his face, his noble brow and dark eyes that had the color of the life-giving soil of the Earth after it's been sprinkled by rain, down to his lips and chin, his elegant sideburns trimmed to perfection. His long, black hair tied back in a neat ponytail without a single strand escaping its grasp.

He was about thirty years old, and she watched him as he stood there tall and proud among his men as he gave them their orders, before they all started walking towards the direction of the harbour. And Silver, who was most certainly not keen on letting them, or mostly him, out of her sight, decided to follow them along, discreetly. She was of course well aware that she was acting like a silly, enamoured human girl, but she really couldn't help herself at the moment as she stalked after them slowly through the city until she arrived to the sea again. There, her eyes were momentarilly averted from the men she was watching to the enormous ship that was currently docked by one of the piers. It was a beautiful, three-masted vessel, and from the look of her reinforced hull and the large number of cannons strapped to wherever they could fit, it was obviously a ship meant for battle, and yet its design was still rather majestic. And so she wasn't surprised when the group of Spaniards headed straight towards this particular floating fortress.

The captain alone walked over on his ship while his men rushed away, probably to perform some of their last minute duties before the ship was going to depart, and Silver sat herself on one of the benches in the harbour, from which she had a rather nice view of the ship and the man who was currently standing near the railing on the high platform of the ship's poop deck, looking out at the sea. He took out his spyglass, watching something in the distance, and she would've turned to try and see what he was looking at, if she wasn't so captivated by the soft smile that played on his lips. He didn't even noticed her sitting there, so absorbed was he in his own thought that he didn't even feel her gaze on him, and she was thankful for that, cause if he looked in her direction she didn't know if she could control the expression that would appear on her face.

Suddenly, though, something unexpected happened that fate simply decided to push her in the direction it wanted. A loud cry came from the sky and she raised her head to look, as all of a sudden, a seagull above them lost control of its wings for a moment in the sharp wind and as it fell it crashed into the mizzen sail, startling the captain enough that he stumbled and lost his balance completely. Her eyes widened as she watched him falling down, into the sea, and she cringed when she heard an almost deafening noise as his body hit the wooden back of the ship on its way down. She was glad she didn't hear any bones cracking as she raced towards the ship quickly, jumping into the water without a second thought. She thought she was hearing a distant shouting as she dived beneath the surface, and she looked for the captain frantically. Finally she spotted him as he sank deeper and deeper into the water, unconscious. Quickly, she put her arms around him, and, with her strength, she managed to slowly drag him back from the depths, towards the light of the sun.

As their heads burst out from under the water, and she shook hers to get it out of her eyes, she was met with the sight of the soldiers standing on the shore, some of them in the water, and they rushed in to help her haul him onto the pier, before helping her up as well. She sat there at first, panting from the exertion, feeling uncomfortable as she wasn't used to being in so completely drenched clothes and a slight chill was creeping along her skin even though the air was rather warm, but then she glanced up as she was approached by a pair of boots, and she saw the one-eyed man looking at her, being in a slight shock himself, but quickly finding his composure. "Are you alright, miss?" he asked, and she noticed the soft accent in his voice that almost made her smile. She nodded shortly, but then looked over at the other men as they looked their captain over to see if he wasn't hurt, trying to wake him up. "What about him?" she asked, her voice laced with worry.

"It seems _el capitán_ has once again demonstrated how much luck he has on his side." he said, and then, fixing his one eye on her he offered her his hand to help her stand. "Miss…" he started and then he paused, silently asking for her name, which she provided with a smile. "Brooks. My name is Silver Brooks." he said, and nodded. "Miss Brooks then, that was a very brave thing what you did, though perhaps a little stupid. You could have drowned yourself." he said and she couldn't help but feel a little colour rising into her cheeks at his scolding, even though she would most certainly not drown. "Still, you saved our captain, and for that, please accept the gratitude of me and my men. I am lieutenant Lesaro." he said, and she shook his hand, and then, to her surprise, the other soldiers present went to shake her hand too, smiling as they did so and offering their words of thanks, some in English, others did so in their own mother tongue. She was a bit flustered by their gesture, and touched, for it seemed they loved their captain quite a lot. Then, she heard a groan and all heads turned to the direction of the sound.

The captain was just coming around, one of his men supporting him slightly, trying to make him take it easy in case there was some damage they didn't see, but the captain would not listen. He looked around, confused for a moment, and Lesaro approached him, watching him sharply. " _Capitán,_ are you alright?" The lieutenant asked and the captain nodded as he straightened himself. "Yes, quite alright, lieutenant. Though I have a bit of trouble recalling what happened exactly." he replied, and Lesaro shook his head, as he finally allowed himself to sigh in relief. "I saw you falling from the ship, and went back as quickly as I could, though I was worried I'll be too late. Luckily," he said, and gestured to the woman who was standing behind him. "This young lady was there to save you."

One of the soldiers handed the captain his cane that he fortunately dropped on the deck so it wasn't lost to the ocean, and the captain came to stand before her slowly. As he did, she could just feel the colour and heat rising into her face as she saw his handsome face from up close, though, she noted with slight amusement, he would have to do something about the hair, as it was now hanging around his face all matted and wet, but then it also came to her mind that looking like that, he was even more attractive than before. Then, gently, he took a hold of her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing it, and she could feel something in her stomach tightening as her heart started beating in her chest. "Thank you, _señorita_." he said, and she marveled at the sound of his voice, the thick accent making her wonder if there was something that wasn't absolutely perfect about this man standing before her. "It seems I owe you my life now." he added and she shook her head, smiling brightly. "No, there's need to take it so seriously, _Capitán_." she answered him, trying the Spanish word on her tongue. "I'm sure that your men would be able to save you anyway, I was just the first one on the scene." She looked away from him for a minute and her eyes fell on the crew, and a young officer who was staring at her rather intently, a knowing smile on his lips. She raised her eyebrows at him, and he walked away, mumbling something under his breath in amusement. "Nevertheless," she heard the captain speak again and returned her attention to him. "You were the one who saved me, and that is debt that can't possibly go unpaid. So tell me, how can this old captain repay your kindness?"

She looked at him then, her eyebrows rising again at his choice of words, for he was most certainly not old, and, deciding he was just being funny, she answered. "By telling me his name, for starters." He laughed, the sound making her smile again. "Oh, I must apologize, it seems that blow in the head has knocked my manners out of me. I am _capitán_ Armando Salazar, of the Spanish Royal Navy." once again, he kissed her hand, more casually this time, and, embarrassed, she pulled his hand down into a handshake. "My name is Silver. Silver Brooks." she gave him her own name in exchange. A sort of comfortable silence descended upon them after that as she looked away from him for a second and her eyes landed back on the ship. It was a truly magnificent vessel, and she imagined herself walking on its deck. She really wanted to have a look up there.

"Would you like to have a look up there?" he asked with a smile as he saw her eyeing his ship with such an awe it made her eyes shine like stars. She nodded tentatively, and he motioned for her to follow him. "Come on then." he encouraged, and led her onto the ship. His smile only grew as she observed every single detail, and it was rather clear to Silver that he was very proud, and very fond of this ship. "What's her name?" she asked curiously. "The Silent Mary." he told her, and she, hearing what he said, turned to face him as it suddenly came to her that she knew who this sailor was, and she mentally berated herself for not remembering sooner. "Ah, so you are the _capitán_ Salazar. I'm sorry I didn't realise it sooner." she said, and made a small bow to him. "It is an honour to meet a legendary captain such as yourself." And it was true. As far as she could tell, Armando Salazar has come into the Caribbean from Spain only a few years ago, and yet in such a short time he managed to create such a reputation for himself that there was basically no one in these seas who hasn't heard his name at least once. A ruthless pirate hunter who made it no secret just how much he hated anyone who dared to sail under the black flag, and there were rumours going around about the cruelty he displayed, hunting them down like animals and killing them mercilessly, the man they called El Matador del Mar, The Butcher of the Sea. And yet, for the rest of the world he was a hero, hailed and praised around the Caribbean as the man who will get it rid of piracy forever, a task he was hell-bent to achieve. Still, it was difficult to imagine that kind of man in the charming sailor that she was talking to now, the man who positively beamed with pride at her words.

She was walking around the ship, exploring it under his watchful gaze, admiring its grandiose exterior. Thinking that it looked like a castle with all the tiny tower-like structures around its stern. Suddenly, an idea formed in her head and she turned towards the captain. "Can I ask you for a favour, _capitán_?" she said carefully, her face uncertain, afraid of his reaction, and he looked her in the eyes as he asked. "And what would that be?" She hesitated for a few seconds, then decided to just simply ask the the question. "Can I travel with you on your ship, at least for a while? I wouldn't be a burden really, I can even help around the ship if needed…" she smiled at him hopefully, but she could see as he thought about it that he did not like the idea as much as she did. " _No, no, no_ … I am sorry, miss Brooks," he replied. "but as you must know, there's always danger where we go, and I do not like taking passengers on board. I couldn't have it on my conscience if something were to happen to you, _estrella_." he said in an apologetic tone, and her eyes widened as she recognised the Spanish word he called her with, and she lowered her head as she couldn't contain the smile that erupted on her face. A star. So, you don't want me on your ship, and yet you are giving me nicknames already as if we were old friends. Then, once more, she raised her eyes to meet his, the little wheels inside her head turning as she thought about her next step carefully. "Ok, I understand, _capitán_ , but you did asked how you can repay me, and I would like nothing more than a trip on this ship. Surely you wouldn't deny me at least a short one." she smiled at him sweetly. "Take me to… to…" she paused as she tried to think of the furthest place from Havanna she knew so that she would have as much time in his company as possible.

The captain, of course, was not fooled by this simple ruse, and yet he was quite amused by her efforts, and she saw the stern mask on his face crack, replaced with a smile of his own. "I will take you with us to San Juan," he said finally. "for that is our next destination. But it will be a swift journey and I don't expect any trouble along the way, so if you're dreaming of seeing any sea battles, my dear, you're going to be sorely disappointed." he added, and her eyes twinkled with mischief as she smiled at him innocently. "When we're done, I will deliver you back home, safe and sound. Now do we have a deal, _señorita_?" His question had a hint of finality within it and she knew that she wouldn't get a better bargain out of him, and so she accepted, gracefully placing a hand into his own as he led her into the ship to find her a place to stay.

"... and so that was how I found myself on board of the Silent Mary." she paused with her story for a minute, taking a long sip from her glass, as all this talking was making her rather thirsty. On the other side, to her surprise, she found a rather attentive listener in lord Beckett, as he sat in his chair opposite her, drinking his own wine as he listened to her tale, watching her intently, occasionally addings his own comment or observation here and there, and though she did try to keep her attitude towards him cool, she found that she was getting quite comfortable in his presence. He was after all, a man of great intelligence and knowledge, and conversing with him, telling him about her life turned out to be a rather pleasant experience.

"Interesting. I heard that the Silent Mary was the best pirate hunting ship in the Caribbean." he remarked, as he reached for the bottle and poured some more wine into her glass, and she nodded. "Well, she was certainly the best one in the Spanish fleet, that's for sure. But I have no doubt that what you say is true and I truly wish you could see her like I saw her that day." she said, her smile warm as she remembered the beginnings of the more cheerful part of her story. "She was also one of the fastest." she continued then. "When she sailed at her fastest speed I would always stand on the deck, and it felt like I was flying."

"So, what happened next?" he asked, prompting her to continue, and she was just taking a breath, when a knock on the door interrupted her and she turned her head to look what was going on. On a cue another guard came through the door. "Lord Beckett, governor Swann is here to see you." the man announced and lord Beckett pulled a pocket watch out of his waistcoat, looking at it. "Really? Oh, good lord, we've been here for almost two hours. Miss Brooks," he glanced at her, right on time to see as she yawned slightly, covering her mouth with her hand. "Oh, forgive me, I've kept you here long enough and you must be tired. Please," he stood up from her chair and she did the same, as he walked her to the door. "I truly thank you for your most fascinating and intriguing tale. I hope I'll be able to hear the rest of it soon." he said. "For now, I have some matters to attend to, and I'm sure you have quite a long day behind you, so please, take some rest, we'll talk more in the morning." Smiling, he reached for her hand and kissed it lightly, staring into her eyes, while she looked back at him a little bewildered, which he didn't seem to notice. "You can of course return to the ship if you so desire, but I would like to offer you one of the Company's guest rooms, if you're interested."

She thought about it, the idea of sleeping on something softer than a hammock, and they didn't have many of those, mind you, for a change was rather tempting, but then she looked outside and she saw the Dutchman there, and her heart quickly changed, as she remembered the crew and the captain, and she suddenly had an urge to go there, to see if they were alright. "Perhaps some other time, thank you for the kind offer, lord Beckett, but I shall stay on the ship for tonight." she said politely, and he nodded, though there was something in his eyes that showed him being almost… disappointed. "Very well, I understand. An officer will escort you here tomorrow so we can discuss the terms of our agreement. For now, I wish you a good night's rest. You'll surely need it if you are to be of any use to me." She looked at him then, trying to decide whether what she heard in his last sentence was humour, anger or more of a mockery, but she couldn't see anything behind his neutral expression, and so she bowed, wished him a good night herself, and left without another word.


	12. Chapter 12

**Written in the Stars**

Chapter 12.

So now you know my big secret. I remember when I first stepped on board of the Silent Mary, it felt like entering a throne room of some king. It was, truly, a glorious ship and I felt honoured to have the right to be there, and the feeling never quite left me throughout the whole journey. It took us about a week to get to San Juan, and all this time I was begging the ship to slow down, but alas, she was as fast as a sea dragon.

I had a great time on the Silent Mary though, during the time of my stay. I was a sort of a guest of honour, and gosh they treated me almost like a princess, Spanish gentlemen the lot of them. I got to know them, at least some of them well during those few days, and each and every one of them have a place inside my heart now, even after so many years.

There was Lesaro, good, faithful Lesaro, who was always keeping an eye on me when the captain couldn't do so. He always kept this facade of a stern, strict soldier, the keeper of discipline aboard the ship, but at the end of the day he was also the one who would always put the wellbeing of those under him in front of his own, and so the respect he was being treated with was very well deserved. Around me he was always a bit quiet, standing courtly by my side, and I would bother him with my incessant questions until I'd finally see him smile at my curiosity. On the third day, I asked the captain if he would care to teach me some Spanish, as trust me, if you spend some time around people speaking the language, it's very easy to fall in love with it. He was very busy with his duties that day he said, but he still wanted to oblige me, and so it was Lesaro who had the honour to go through all that torture I had prepared for him, unintentionally of course, cause learning Spanish turned out to be a lot more difficult than learning English, which was a language that followed me around all my life. Still he tried, which made me admire his bravery, and he did manage to teach me something, though there were many times when I wanted to mumble the frustrated _Madre de Dios_ along with him. We would of course laugh about it later though, and I'm pretty sure those were the moments that allowed him to become a lot more relaxed in my presence.

Then there was officer Santos, he told me his name was Miguel, and he has become one of my best friends on the Silent Mary. He was, perhaps, the youngest of the crew, still a mere boy compared to most of the other officers, and as such he seemed a little out of place here, but he never seemed to mind. He was a cheerful, friendly soul, always wearing a smile on his face. A smart young man with a brilliant future in front of him, if fate had been kinder. He was also a lot more observant than the others, it would seem. The first evening, as the ship set out from the harbour and I was sitting up there on the deck when most of the sailor have already went to sleep, I heard the soft approach of his steps as he came to sit next to me. All afternoon he was throwing glances my way, obviously eager to tell me something, so I was curious what was on his mind. Well it turned out that the weasel has seen me in the harbour, and he's clearly seen the way I was staring at his captain. I remember that by the time he got to that point, I was already red with embarrassment, which caused him to laugh, saying that my secret was safe with him. Still, ever since then, he would, occasionally, when no one could hear it, make fun of me because of it, but I'm pretty sure he only did it to make me smile.

Last but certainly not least, there were officers Magda and Moss. They seemed to be especially good friends with one another and would mostly spend time together when they could. Often I would hear them bickering over this and that, and they would always fall silent when I passed by them, as if they were worried I will tell on them to the captain. I would always smile as if I didn't hear anything, and walk away, listening carefully as they continued their argument, their voices hushed. They were always the ones who cheered most loudly when I sang for the crew, and I did so quite often. Well, most of the time I was just singing for myself, which couldn't be helped really, I always sing when I am really happy, and I was really happy on this ship. It wasn't exactly what you would consider beneficial for the crew's morale, as many of them would take it as a cue to stop their work and stare at me, and the poor lieutenant had his hands full keeping order around the ship, but it always certainly improved their mood. And though the captain would often look at me sternly for disturbing the crew's work, he too would always come out, rewarding me with the silent clapping of his hands and the softest of smiles on his amused face.

Oh yes, the captain. He was often needed on the deck to watch over the ship's progress, and in those times I would leave him alone, but whenever he could, he was always happy to spend time with me, and I… I was grateful for every minute he was able to spare. Salazar was a brilliant man and I truly loved our conversations. He told me about his early life, and the beautiful andalusian shores where he was born, of his beginnings in the navy and how he climbed through the ranks until he became a captain of his first ship, making his father truly proud of his son. Soon after that though, his father was killed, murdered by pirates on the high seas in a short and bloody battle, his ship utterly destroyed and his body never recovered from the depths, just as it was with his father before him. It was then when the young Salazar decided to follow in his father's footsteps, and in his anger and hunger for revenge, he managed to achieve a great success in hunting the scum that destroyed his family. And so, only a few years after he cried over an empty grave he was given the command of a brand new spanish vessel, the most powerful that was ever built, the one I was standing on right now, and I could clearly see as his eyes lit up with pride as he spoke of the spoke of the Silent Mary, and the bitterness in his voice dissolved into something else as he recalled the carnage they caused in the seemingly endless lines of pirate ships over the Caribbean, where pirates were spreading like rats at that time. It was a passion verging on obsession, and it got me worried that one day this obsession was going to drive him straight into an early grave.

He on the other hand was curious about me too, and that was when I found myself in a bit of a dilemma. I never told anyone, well, any human who I was, what I was, and as much as I wanted to I couldn't find in myself the courage to tell him. He didn't seem like a man who would believe in fairy tales and I was worried that if I made him that he would never accept me for more than the creature I am. I was after all a predator on these seas, and while I certainly wasn't as evil as those many other things that lurked both in the deep and on dry land, I was surely not innocent either. Staring in his eyes I never failed to see his desire to protect, his will to make these seas safe for the people like me, the way he stared at me as if to reassure me that I would never suffer because of the filth that stalked the seas like hungry wolves ready to devour everything in their path, that I couldn't bring myself to tell him the truth in fear that he would hate me if I did. I couldn't stand the though of that. And so I made up a story of me being a merchant's daughter who lost her parents in an accident a while ago, who inherited a small fortune and was now just enjoying a quick holiday before she would have to find a way to earn a living, or something silly as that, I don't really remember, but he seemed to believe it. Sometimes though, I wonder if it was the right decision, and whether or not I would have saved him if only I opened his eyes to the supernatural, if me sacrificing the friendship that was growing between us would give him perhaps the insight not to do the same mistakes as he did, but thinking back on it all, I don't think anything could've changed his decisions about Jack Sparrow, not when his hatred was stronger that his reason. And still, it took me many years before I was able to put this heavy cloak of guilt aside and find true happiness in my memories.


	13. Chapter 13

**Kelpie Fact No. 5:** A classic tale of a kelpie tells a story about ten children who find a kelpie on the bank of river. While nine of the children climb onto the creatures back for a ride, one of them stays on the shore, but strokes the kelpie's nose, and his hand gets stuck to it's skin. As the kelpie begins to make it's way into the water, the one boy takes out a knife from his pocket and cuts off his own hand to save himself. His friends are not so lucky, however, and they get dragged into the depths, never to be seen again.

 **Written in the Stars**

Chapter 13.

 _Cold blows the wind to my true love,_

 _And gently falls the rain._

 _I never had but one true love,_

 _And in greenwood he lies slain._

On any other, normal day on the Flying Dutchman, Silver would always enjoy the time she could spend sleeping in the morning. As she was more of a passenger than an actual member of the crew, she was never required to help around on the ship, though, when she did come out of her little corner down in the hold when she made her little, relatively comfortable nest of old cloths and canvases she dug out around the ship she would do what she could to help, so no one really had a reason to complain.

Today, however, was different. She woke up shortly before sunrise, and as soon as her mind clouded with sleep cleared and she remembered all that happened the previous day, she knew she would not be able to sleep anymore. Her dreams have been plagued by nightmares anyway, and she didn't want to return to that, and so she went up on the deck, sitting herself down by the wheel, her legs hanging over the edge of the platform as she leaned forward against the old wooden railing, from where she had a perfect view of the whole ship.

 _I'll do as much for my true love_

 _As any a young girl may._

 _I'll sit and mourn all on his grave_

 _For twelve months and a day._

She sat there, thinking, as she looked towards the still sleeping town, and the several guards that stood down there, fighting there own fatigue as they stood watch over the ship, and it's strange occupants. They did not notice her, and she chose to ignore then as she watched as a pale light slowly began to fill the sky, and she knew that the sun would soon follow. She was sad, her usually such cheerful mood sullied by her yesterday's talk with Beckett, for while it reminded her of many of her happiest memories, it also brought with it the memories she didn't want to think about.

Soon, the dark thoughts inside her head became too suffocating for her to dwell upon them any longer, and as the first rays of the sun began to climb from under their blue, ocean bed a soft, mournful song filled the morning air. A gentle wind blew towards her from the sea and carried her sadness on it's wings, away from the ship as she poured it into those sorrowful notes. And that was the sound the crew woke up to as they made their way to the deck to start with their morning duties. None of them questioned the unusual tone in her voice, for their all felt the same way.

 _And when twelve months and a day had passed,_

 _The ghost did rise and speak,_

" _Why do you sit all on my grave_

 _And will not let me sleep?"  
_

The sound of opening doors captured her attention for a minute and she opened her eyes and looked towards the captain's cabin, and their eyes met as Davy Jones glanced up to look at her. Neither of them spoke, there was no need to. Last evening, when she was finally allowed to come back to the ship, they all wanted to know what they wanted from her, but she didn't have an answer for them. She did, however, told them that Beckett had the heart, which was of course something the captain had already known, and yet having it confirmed like that seemed to add even more weight to his already sunken shoulders.

She hated giving him such bad news that obviously caused him pain, and at that moment, any favour she might have felt towards Beckett vanished in a proverbial puff of smoke, as she watched her captain carefully hiding his pain behind a wall of anger. That night, she went to sleep early, knowing that it would take her hours before she'll be able to fall asleep, and she was lying there in darkness trying not to think of what will happen tomorrow.

' _Tis I, 'tis I, thine own true love_

 _That sits all on your grave_

 _I ask one kiss from your sweet lips_

 _And that is all that I crave._

It was then when she felt a hand on her shoulder, and she saw it was Koleniko, looking down on her in concern, and she smiled at him, tears shining in her eyes, to tell him wordlessly not to worry, that she was alright, and he sat down next to her, listening to the song. He always was, from the very beginning, the best friend she had on this ship, and his presence had managed to calm her down a bit, and while her song was still sad, her voice lost the desperate edge it had before, as she sighed and began breathing normally.

She never told any of the crew about that part of her past, she didn't want the captain to know. He carried his own burden with him all the time and didn't have to know about hers. Seeing that she was still distressed, Koleniko put a hand around her shoulders, careful not to prick her with any of his spines, and she closed her eyes, thankful for the compassion he showed to her, before she turned and hugged him shortly.

 _My breast is cold as the clay;_

 _My breath is earthly strong._

 _And if you kiss my cold, clay lips,_

 _You're days will not be long..._

Suddenly, her singing was interrupted by loud footsteps, and she saw several new soldiers arriving. The sun was up now, and that meant her time of waiting was over. The soldiers, who obviously belonged to the Company rather than Port Royal itself came for her, calling her by her name, and she followed them back to the EITC building where she was seated in Lord Beckett's office, awaiting his arrival, two guards standing by the door. She used that time to look around the office more carefuly, exploring every inch of it discreetly in order to learn something more about the man who was obviously in charge of her life now. She could see that he was a man who liked think to be in order, his office being taken care off meticulously, but he was also a man who enjoyed the fine things in life, who liked the luxury his social status brought to him. She couldn't deny that part of her would gladly want to relate to this, as kelpies are naturally prone to being a bit greedy, and that part of her was quite jealous of what she saw around her, and what it told of the man who she was supposed to serve.

Suddenly, she pushed those feelings back as she heard the sound of the door opening, and lord Beckett stepped through, accompanied by a man she hasn't seen before, and, as she looked at him, a man she certainly wouldn't care about seeing more than once. He had a hard face and dark eyes filled with so much cruelty it would put any sea monster to shame, they were the eyes of a cold blooded murderer, and as he stood himself quietly in the corner, she found herself watching him warily.

"Ah." lord Beckett exclaimed as he entered the room, seeing her already there. "I appologize for keeping you waiting, miss Brooks, there's been some business that required my attention first. May I introduce mr. Ian Mercer, my personal assistant?" he said lightly and she turned to the man, resisting the urge to shudder at the look he gave her before shaking her hand. He didn't try to hide at all the distaste he felt towards her as he stared into her eyes, and she, not being one to be intimidated so easily did not try to hide her own feelings of repulsion as she stared right back into his.

"I see you two are going to get along just perfectly." Lord Beckett remarked from his position behind the table, a hint of amused irony coating his words, and she turned her eyes to him, grateful for him interrupting the unpleasant stare contest. "Now I believe we should discuss the terms of our near future arrangement." he continued as if nothing happened. "The heart of Davy Jones and the ensuing control over the man it belongs to it provides is a precious commodity, and I intent to utilize it's potential in a way that would mostly benefit the interests of the Company, and therefore, mine as well. The pirates have long been a menace on these seas and their incessant meddling in our affairs have made it difficult for the EITC to establish itself as the top ruling corporation in this part of the civilised world. But this is a hindrance that will now come to a quick and practical end, one that would not cost me absolutely anything now that I have this in my possession."

The chest was placed next to them on the table and she looked at it, her eyes full of concern, and he smiled, placing a hand on top of it. "You have made your wishes quite clear yesterday, miss Brooks, and I am a man who does not give his word lightly. If you will cooperate and not attempt to do anything to hinder my progress in this matter, I can assure you nothing will happen to your captain. He has, after all, been most helpful in eradicating pirates in the past on his own, and once he serves his purpose I will see to it that his freedom is returned to him once it's safe for me and my associates. Can we agree on that, miss Brooks?" he asked, looking at her expectantly.

She stood up, and turned her back on him, fuming silently. He was actually making a deal out of this, as if she had any choice on the matter. "Please, miss Brooks, as you said yourself you are merely a victim of a chance, I do not wish to make it seem like you are pressed into anything. It is all, after all, just good business." he said, answering her unspoken question. "And in light of that, I will not forget, under any circumstances, about your personal involvement in this. There is the option of a reward if I am satisfied with the results." He saw how her head turned his way at the mention of a reward and he smiled, knowing that she was at least going to think about his offer now. He was always good at reading people and while this complicated creature before him certainly had many quirks that made him initially a bit wary of how to act around her and talk to her, how best to sway her under his will, their yesterday's conversation told him that she was more human than perhaps she herself even imagined, and he could tell that she was just as much of an opportunist as he was, and that if she believed that Davy Jones was safe, that she herself would make the extra effort to earn his favour. And that could be used in more ways that one. Those past few hours of her sitting in his office he couldn't help but notice her beauty, a simple, yet radiant beauty that she hardly seemed to even know about, and he found himself wanting to try his cards whether or not she would respond to his charms in that regard as well.

Rising slowly from his chair, he walked around the table and stepped closer to her. "Miss Brooks, there's no need to be so upset. Please, come and sit back down." He gently placed a warm hand on her arm, and she turned to him, taking a breath as if she wanted to say something, when once again someone knocked on the door, interrupting her. This time, however, a visitor stepped through the door, and her eyes widened when she saw him, for even though he looked a lot better now she recognised him immediately as the man from Isla Cruces, the one who stole the chest in the first place.

"Oh, yes, welcome admiral." Lord Beckett turned to the man, ignoring the look Silver was giving him, sitting back on his chair to observe everything. "This might actually clarify a few things. Miss Brooks, let me present to you the new admiral of our fleet mr. James Norrington. Admiral, this is miss Silver Brooks, she will stay at your command on the Endeavour for now." Silver glared at Beckett before turning to the man… Norrington, the slight shock of the situation making her unable to react for a while, which was lucky for the former commodore as it gave Beckett the time to speak further. "And before I become a witness to some unnecessary violence, I would like to assure you, miss Brooks, that admiral Norrington's actions did not stem from a desire to cause harm to anybody, rather than a desire to restore his life after it's been destroyed by none other than Jack Sparrow and his petty little band of friends. Surely you can understand such relatable motives." The look in her eyes softened slightly, and she eyed the man with a bit more interest now. He certainly looked better now that the scruffiness and the dirt was gone, and he was dressed in a new shining uniform, but he had this look about him, like a man who was once brilliant but now there was a tiredness in his posture and a certain resignation… and a deep sadness in his eyes. That, more than Beckett's words made her feel that she should forgive him for his actions, but she would decide that after she has the chance to talk to him.

"You summoned me, lord Beckett?" The man asked and lord Beckett motioned towards a long black case sitting on a table in the corner of the room. There was a sword inside, quite a pretty weapon, and the admiral took it in his hand with a look of recognition and a certain reverence, the sword seemingly having some significance to him, and it obviously made him pleased to see him again, and yet she sensed an almost palpable tension from the man, as if he wanted to leave Beckett presence as quickly as possible, which she found rather curious.

"So, miss Brooks, how's it going to be?" Lord Beckett again to her as the admiral departed from the room. She looked at him, her brow furrowed in hesitation, and he sighed. "Please, miss Brooks, I have laid out your options before you, and we can do this one way or the other. So what is your decision? Can we rely on your cooperation or do we have to ensure it by different means?" He continued, a slight hint of impatience in his otherwise calm demeanour, and she, really having no choice and deciding not to aggravate him any further, forced a smile on her face and a brighter tone into her voice. "Very well, we have an accord then. Since you've made it clear that this a friendly negotiation… can I perhaps ask you for a favour?" she said and he looked at her curiously. "And what would that be miss Brooks?"

"Can I have a sword too?" she asked, smiling sweetly, and as an answer the silent office suddenly rang with the sound of lord Beckett's soft, melodious laugh.

oooooooooo

She found him later on the deck of the ship, the Endeavour, a rather beautiful vessel that was also lord Beckett's flagship and the perfect example of the power the East India Trading Company possessed, where, she supposed, she went later to report for duty. It sounded rather strange in her head as she said it, but at the same time, it almost made her new position sound rather important, and that secretly made her chest puff out with pride. She approached him casually, having the time to change her clothes, she now wore her favourite set of grey shirt and trousers, what she always wore when she was on the sea for a longer amount of time. She didn't care what men thought of her for a woman most unusual attire, and she didn't care what he might think, but the admiral seemed to be too much of a gentleman to comment on that.

Instead he made a little bow when she leaned on the railing next to him, his back a bit stiff as he did so, and she chuckled. He was so very different than the other soldiers under Beckett's command, namely she noticed the absence of that arrogant superiority complex they all seemed to have. Admiral Norrington seemed to be their very opposite in every aspect, and surprisingly someone she could actually like.

"Did lord Beckett explained to you what I actually am?" she asked, trying to start this conversation in a friendly manner, and she saw him look over at her nervously. "Yes, he did." he answered, and she smiled. "Well then, I'm glad that I don't have to go through that myself." she laughed, but she sighed when he didn't join her and just stared at the sea in silence. "Admiral, if we are to work together, I would like this to be as peaceful as possible. So while I'm still in a good mood to listen, how about you tell me your story?"

At that his face finally broke and he smirked, and after a minute of her patiently waiting, he began to tell his tale, from the very beginning in Port Royal, the day he thought was to be the happiest day of his life, the very same day that blasted pirate decided to appear in the city. She listened as he recalled how the black ship sailed into port that night and took the love of his life away with it, the week that he spent desperately trying to search for her and when he finally found her, agreed to save the man who was his rival all along.

Silver stared at him, her eyes watering as she was moved by the tragic fate that led him here. This noble man has sacrificed everything to ensure the woman's happiness, even after she so readily played with his feelings, and then he payed for being so generously willing to give the pirate who helped to save her, be it for his own selfish reasons, a chance to run. Loosing everything like that, she could understand that he would jump at the first opportunity to get some of it back, and though his efforts were the reason for her captain's current predicament, she knew she couldn't possibly be mad at him. And so, when he finished, she nodded slowly and turned to him.

"Admiral," she said. "it's possible that what you did will cause a lot of grief to me and my captain, but I am truly sorry for what you had to go through because of that pirate. From what I've heard, you would have deserved all the best in the world and I hope that this course will bring you closer to that."

"Thank you… miss Brooks." he replied, sending her a small smile as he gestured to a passing soldier in greeting. "I appologize for getting you in this situation, I can see you care about the captain and everyone on the Dutchman deeply, and you have every right to hate me for being personally responsible for these grim circumstances."

"Admiral, my hatred goes to the one who actually deserve it, which means I don't have any left for you. My bond to the captain does not stop me from understanding the motivations of others. You have done what you had to do, I would have done the same being in your position. And as much as I find this situation detestable, I am hoping it will eventually get resolved. In the meantime, hunting pirates is something I surely have no problem with, so please, let us agree on being allies in this. It would give a bit of comfort to have a friend on this ship." she said, offering him her hand, and he shook it.

oooooooooo

Over the course of the first week, she stayed on the Endeavour, where she had very little information about what was happening with the Flying Dutchman in her absence, and so she was always anxious when both ships were ordered to go back to port to check on them. She knew the Dutchman was kept busy by lord Beckett, and since Davy Jones didn't seem to be causing any problems at the time, her uneasy nerves began to calm down somehow, thinking that maybe this arrangement might work after all. While she was on the sea, she certainly did not have a reason to be bored either, for even through it was the Flying Dutchman who had the main hand in lord Beckett's recent pirate extermination campaign, the Endeavour itself, under Norrington's command, was making it's own voyages, flanked by several other lesser EITC ships. And on these little pirate hunting expeditions Silver had a rather easy task to perform. She would always jump into the water, swimming towards the pirate vessel, killing one or two of them on board, creating such a mayhem and chaos upon the ship that the pirates wouldn't even have the time to prepare for an attack, while the Endeavour would close in on them, and destroy the ship without earning even a single cannon ball in return. This simple, yet brilliant tactic went quite well with lord Beckett's confidence in her as it saved him the precious time any required repairs would otherwise take.

Silver on the other hand found that she was quite enjoying this new "job" of hers. Being a natural hunter this was an activity that suited her natural talents well, and she was always left with the option of a free meal as long as she she brought someone back alive. From the… thorough, and usually quite loud interrogation that followed, usually done by mr. Mercer, who seemed to be a real expert on this matter, she learned that lord Beckett was quite serious about this whole business. Murdering pirates on the seas was one thing, taking on the whole Order was another, and Beckett seemed to prefer burning the rats in their den rather than an open battle. But the location of the so called Shipwreck City was a secret that was so well kept that there were very few living creatures beside the pirates themselves who knew where it was. Unfortunately, those pirates turned out to be a much hardier sort then they anticipated, and even with Mercer's methods of extracting information, whatever they were since Silver certainly didn't want to know, all of the prisoners that she caught were either not willing to betray their brothers, or they simply didn't know at all.

As for lord Beckett himself, he mostly stayed behind in Port Royal, relying on the admiral's capabilities to keep things running, and so she was slightly surprised when he went along for one such journey, accompanied by Mercer as well. It turned out this time they were following the Flying Dutchman who was ordered to attack a large cluster of pirate ships, daring to fight back against Beckett's onslaught, and Lord Beckett thought that perhaps here, they might finally find someone useful, however, all they saw upon their arrival was a bunch of wooden wreckage and a pile of dead bodies floating upon the water with a smug looking Dutchman sitting in the middle of it.

"Bloody hell, there's nothing left." was Beckett's comment when he came to observe the situation, and Silver could feel her insides getting cold, not at the rather gruesome sight in front of them but the look at Beckett's face as it twisted into a rare display of irritation that didn't promise anything good. "Seems that the captain is a bit too eager for his own good." he said as she came to stand next to him, eyes fixed on the ship in the distance, and that's when Mercer decided to voice his opinion.

"Jones is a loose canon, sir. We should get rid of him soon, once his usefulness is at an end." Before Beckett could even take a breath to answer him, the kelpie standing next to them whirled around, her edgy mind getting the better of her for a moment, and slammed the black-clad assassin into the nearest wall, her arm around his neck, and Mercer found himself clawing at her desperately as she held him in place with unexpected strength, cutting off his air with unbridled hatred reflected in her eyes. Several soldiers cocked their weapons immediately, aiming them at her head, but surprisingly, lord Beckett ordered them to stand down as he approached her, speaking softly. "Miss Brooks, it's alright, no need to get so riled up over Mercer's words. He spoke out of turn. I gave you my word and I will keep to that so please, release him so we don't have to resort to more drastic measures." he murmured.

She turned her head and looked into his eyes, studying whatever she could see behind them, before she snorted and looked back at Mercer. She brought her face close to his slowly and whispered into his ear. "I have no illusions about your master, but as long as he keeps his word to me he will live. I however have no such sentiments towards you, so you'd better watch out, mr. Mercer." Looking at him with all the disdain she felt for him, she released his throat, and she walked past the soldiers standing herself back where she stood before, her head held high in pride, her eyes shining with blistering rage she fought to contain.

Lord Beckett came to stand next to her again, and she glanced over at him, catching the look in his eyes. He was looking at her in utter amazement and fascination, surprised by just how much passion she could display, and his eyes shone brightly with an emotion he could hardly hide beneath his stoic facade. She was the most beautiful in her anger, when her whole posture and her body would brim with power and strength and he couldn't help but feeling desire flaring up inside of him as he saw the flames burning deep within her. He knew that she could sense it as well, but even though she answered by quickly averting her eyes from his, he saw in that brief moment that she wasn't entirely opposed to that idea, and he felt confident that he will be able to win her over easily, if he can persuade her that she can trust him. He was, however, about to take a step back in that direction as he failed to bring one more detail into his equation.

"You did WHAT?" she exclaimed loudly, the almost neutral expression she managed to hold during his whole discussion with Davy Jones falling immediately as she heard the news of the Kraken's death, and Beckett turned to her, a bit surprised by the sudden outburst, before his calculating mind began processing just what could be possibly going on in hers, realising the slight error he has made. She wasn't present when the Kraken died, and he did not consider the possibility of her having some sort of fondness of the creature, as that seemed too much ludicrous of an idea. Appearantly though, it wasn't.

"That creature was precious." her voice was full of shock as she took a step towards him. "It was one of it's kind." she continued, her voice slowly filling with anger. "You had absolutely no right to…" she stopped, when she felt the cold barrel of his gun under her chin, looking down slightly, and falling silent. "Silver?" she whispered, and he nodded. "I appologize if my actions caused you any pain, that was not my intention, miss Brooks, but do not forget your place. I did what was necessary, there's nothing more to it. Surely that is something you can understand." She nodded, and released her, walking away. Immediately, she turned towards Davy Jones, who was still standing there, and breathed out: "Where is he?" He looked at her, his eyes reflecting his own sadness, and he wanted to say something, but she cut him off. "Just tell me where."

oooooooooo

It was one of those warm, Caribbean evening when she, after several hours of tireless swimming came out onto the shore of an island, and her heart immediately sank as she saw the huge, motionless body lying there. She came closer, standing there as her horse form slowly melted away, and tears filled her eyes as she saw those empty orbs staring back at her. And then, slowly, she began to sing, and the waves joined her in her grief with their own, mournful music.

Go fetch me water from the desert sand

And blood from out the stone.

Go fetch me milk from a fair maid's breast

That young man has never known.

o

How oft on yonder grave, Sweetheart

Where we were wont to walk—

The fairest flower that I e're saw

Has withered to a stalk.

o

When shall we meet again, sweetheart?

When shall we meet again?

When the oaken leaves that fall from the trees

Are green and spring up again...


	14. Chapter 14

**Kelpie Fact No. 6:** The kelpie doesn't have many weaknesses, but many legends of it tells of one in particular, though it slightly differs depending on the legend. It is said that you can enslave a kelpie by putting a bridle with a cross carved into it on its head. In other legends kelpies appear as horses already fitted with a bridle, and those who are brave enough to take a hold of it will be able to control the water horse, which can then be used to work for you as it is said to have the strength of at least ten horses.

 **Written in the Stars**

Chapter 14.

The next several days, Silver was trying her hardest to avoid lord Beckett as much as she could, and when she did have to meet with him, she would hardly look at him, giving her reports to him short and brief, speaking only when he asked her something. Since she couldn't do it properly, this was her way to express her anger with him, as it seemed to bother him a lot more than if she tried to snap his neck every time she saw him.

She of course new that she wouldn't be able to sulk like that forever, so she wasn't surprised one day when, in the morning, she walked onto the Endeavour to be approached by lieutenant Groves and informed that lord Beckett was expecting her on deck. She found him sitting there by a small table, his breakfast laid out before him, casually drinking his morning tea.

"Miss Brooks." he said, as she walked the steps and stood next to him, looking down at him with a frown on her face, and he sighed. "Please, join me." She raised her eyes in annoyance, not quite rolling them, but still showing clear signs of her irritation, and with a sigh of her own she sat down on a chair opposite of his, waiting for him to say whatever he wanted to say.

"Miss Brooks," he began, "I couldn't help but notice that as of late, I have somewhat fallen out of your favour. I am not blind to the reasons behind this, and once again I would like to extend to you my deepest apologies for being the cause of your grief, but this behavior of yours is starting to become rather tiresome. It would be better for everyone if you stopped it." he said, taking a sip from his cup.

"Oh, so you want me to talk?" she snapped, turning to him sharply as she leaned on the table. "You cannot even fathom how much this hurt me, how could you? You don't care about anything except yourself, how can you understand someone else's pain beyond the extend of how you can use it for your own ends?" she paused, taking a deep breath. "I could've at least known you were going to do this." She felt his hand on hers, and she twitched, pulling away, and with a sigh, completely ignoring her outburst, he spoke kindly.

"I am rather glad I did not tell you before, knowing how much more you'd suffer if you knew it was about to happen. Do not think of me as such a cruel man, miss Brooks, I am a man of opportunity for sure, but I have always prefered to deal with words, not violence. You must believe me when I say that I truly regret seeing you in such distress."

She shook her head and looked over at him across the table, and he smiled when he could see her eyes soften slightly. Then he raised from his chair gracefully and motioned for her to follow him. "Come with me, there is something I would like to show you." he said, and she followed him out onto the pier and threw the docks, several guard falling into step behind them immediately. They were currently back in Port Royal to resupply, and she was wondering just where was he leading her as they made one turn after another through the many pathways and wharfs that made this port such a busy place, until they suddenly stopped and she gasped.

Before them, rocking on the soft waves, was a ship. Nothing too big, but certainly not too small either, a rather pretty schooner with two great masts and many sails, even a few cannons lining its sides. But what Silver found most beautiful was the figure fastened right beneath the ship's long, slim bowsprit, the figure of two horses modeled so they looked like they were jumping forward, and she imagined how it would look, as the wild ocean waves would crash themselves against the bow, giving the illusion of those horses being almost alive.

Lord Beckett stood next to her on the pier, watching her face as several different emotions flashed over it, as she watched the ship in total astonishment. "This is a beautiful ship." he heard her say, and he smiled. "Yes it is… and it is yours." It took her a few seconds to register his words, but when she did, she turned around, staring at him. "What?"

"You heard me right." he answered matter-of-factly, acting like it wasn't such a big deal. "I have acquired this vessel some time ago, used to be a pirate ship, mind you, but I have so far not had the time to find a suitable use for it. You have been very useful to me these past few weeks we've been working together and I wish to give you a bit more freedom, as I know you do not enjoy being surrounded by navy officers. You won't be allowed to leave the fleet of course, but this ship will be at your disposal."

The look on her face now was that of shock as she watched him, trying to discern whether he was serious about this or not. When she found out that he was, she could hardly contain the joy that bubbled up to the surface. "I can't… I thank you, lord Beckett, but…" she paused. "This is most certainly an usual gift for one in my position… why?" Her question was certainly right, but on the other hand it was clear that she was not going to refuse the ship, and lord Beckett smiled pleased that he was once more correct in his judgement.

"You can take this as a more practical way of my recompense for the loss I have caused you." he said simply. "Or as a reward for the promise of success your presence have brought into our plan. Do not underestimate the impact you have made. My officers have been saying nothing but praise about you." Here it was, that pride on her face, shining from her eyes like beacons. Power and wealth, this creature desired both, even though she wouldn't so readily admit it, even to herself.

Silver mind was still reeling from the revelation that she now owned an actual ship, that she almost forgot she had a reason to be angry at this man, but now she once again became serious as she looked at him, searching his eyes for an answer. "I thank you, lord Beckett," she repeated. "This is truly a mighty gift and I am grateful for it. But contrary to what you may think, I am not so easy to buy. If you wish to earn my forgiveness, you'll have to try a bit harder."

He laughed and waved his hand at her as he began walking back towards his own ship. "I am aware of that, miss Brooks, I would not dare to assume otherwise. Would you allow me to continue my repentance by inviting you for a dinner tonight?" She stopped dead in her tracks, glaring at him, once more in that day placed in a bit of a bewilderment. "What?"

"It's nothing mandatory of course. I was just wondering whether you would care to grace my dinner table with your presence tonight. I would much like if you could continue telling me the story you sadly didn't get to finish when we first met." She was, for a minute, at a loss for words, and the fact that she could refuse did not help her very much. On one hand, refusing the offer was something she felt she was supposed to do, but… part of the reason she kept avoiding him this whole time was, because, staying mad at him has becoming increasingly difficult. He was a man with a unique charm that was impossible to ignore, and the more she tried to fight it, the more was his presence worming its way through her resolve. She wasn't stupid, she knew what the thought of her being alone with him probably insinuated, and she was surprised when she felt willing to risk it, even more surprised when she found out she wasn't feeling so guilty about it as she thought she would. He was, after all, really handsome. Besides, she was also quite interested what he had on his dinner table. And so she shook her head, and smiled.

"Well, perhaps you deserve another chance." she said, and, returning her smile, he took her hand and kissed it gently. "Well, then I'll see you tonight. Take the day off, miss Brooks, we'll be casting off again tomorrow. Walk in the town, buy something new, it's a beautiful day, enjoy it. I'll be looking forward to spending time in your presence again." At last, he gave a long and meaningful look that made something in her stomach warm up, and she resisted the urge to smile at him as he turned around, and left, accompanied by his guards, a slight spring in his step.

oooooooooo

That evening she came to stand in front of his cabin in a new, sky blue dress lined with many laces and intricate patterns made of white threads that complimented her hair beautifully and she knew he saw that too as she was led inside to find him there already waiting for her. His breath hitched in his throat as he saw her and she stared at him, amused, as he tried to keep his face in check, it was a rewarding sight to see him flabbergasted for a change. Though no one was in the room, she decided to be merciful and not comment on that, as she made her way to the table and he offered her a chair before seating himself. "You look beautiful, miss Brooks." he said finally. "It is an honour to have you here with me."

She couldn't help but blushing a bit at his comment, but quickly found her composure. "Thank you." she said, smiling. "I don't get many opportunities to dine with English lords." she admitted, and he reached across the table, gently brushing her fingers with his. "Then I shall make sure you're enjoying yourself tonight." he answered, sending her a smile that would bring any young girl to her knees, and Silver nodded her head slightly in thanks. A few minutes later, some servants entered the cabin to bring them their meal and wine, and she took a delighted sip of hers before glancing at the plate, even though the smell have already told her what to expect. An eel roasted on a mix of herbs, with steamed potatoes on the side, though she had to admit, it looked even better than she anticipated, and she looked up at Beckett, smiling appreciatively. The food tasted heavenly, then again Silver really loved fish, and she really wondered if this was a coincidence or if he somehow knew and this was just another of his clever moves.

They ate together in silence, though she would often see him throwing glances her way, and she, in turn, kept looking at him when he wasn't looking in her direction. It became a bit of game between them, and it surprised her to find that the usually almost cold aristocrat would find enjoyment in such boyish activities. After they finished eating he lead her to a set of armchairs in a corner of the cabin, and placed her in one of them before sitting next to her, pouring her and himself some more wine before sitting comfortably. "Will you be so kind and tell me the rest of your story now, miss Brooks? I've been eager to hear how it ends for a while now, and we still have a long time to spend."

She sighed, and leaned back in the armchair, enjoying the soft material of it. "Well," she began after a minute. "I've told you about how I first met the _capitán_ and his crew, and how I managed to win a trip on the famous Silent Mary. Well I was certainly not dissapointed with it…" she said, her eyes sparkling as she recalled that week on the spanish ship once again. Despite the short time she spent there, there were many things to be told, and she was glad she actually had someone to share them with.

"You know," she continued. "Despite the many times the captain kept assuring me that we won't meet any pirates on our way, at the end, we actually did, just one ship, but still a pirate one. We were about half through the journey, sailing along the shores of Hispaniola when we stumbled upon her. It wasn't much if I remember correctly, and yet the captain still felt it necessary to send me into my cabin, like there was a chance in hell I would let myself miss seeing him in action. So, as soon I was sure that I won't be watched I slipped away, and found myself a perfect spot to watch.

I saw a different side to Salazar that day. The fact that he was an amazing sailor and an even better soldier was one thing, and then there was the fact that his hatred towards pirates was not overestimated in the slightest. It was a bit shocking to see the contrast in his character, that cold fury burning in him as he sliced through that ship with his cannons. Those pirates didn't stand a chance against the might of the Silent Mary, and the mercilessness of her captain. I could see sometimes that the crew themselves were often astounded, even appalled themselves, and yet their loyalty to their captain was absolute. It was amazing to see what a strong personality he had for sure.

And then we arrived to San Juan and I already began to miss them all, even though we were not actually to part ways yet. The plan was to stay here for a few days, as the captain had a few matters to deal with in the city, and then they would bring me over to Kingston, which would take a while as well. But fate has decided otherwise." she paused here, and sighed, as the dark proverbial clouds slowly started rolling in into the story. "We were two days in San Juan when the message came. The captain learned of a huge gathering of pirates, a half a dozen ships at least, several miles from the shore. I did not know why I had such a bad feeling about this until I actually looked at the charts where the location was marked with a tiny flag, but seeing it then was nearly enough to chill me to the bone. Nobody really knows just how far is the Devil's Triangle actually stretching, but that rocky structure that marks its southern borders is something all creatures of the sea know to avoid. There is evil there that only fools can ignore, and too often humans tend to be very foolish when they get the option to be.

I warned the captain not to go there, I really did, I spend hours trying to persuade him not to go, or at least not to go alone and wait for some reinforcements, but he would not listen of course, and this time, he was not willing to take me with him either, ordering me to remain on the shore instead. His desire to keep me safe was of course very touching, but I was by no chance certainly going to stay behind. And so when I was done waving at them as I stood in the harbour I jumped into the water and followed them, just out of reach so they wouldn't accidentally see me, but close enough so I could keep an eye on the ship.

It was a few hours' journey, and the sun was high on the sky by the time we arrived at the location of the pirates. Their fleet wasn't all that impressive, but still relatively big, too big for them being here to be a coincidence. And sure enough, not wanting to take any chances, they attacked the Silent Mary as soon as she came in sight, surrounding the ship in a circle, trying to break through her defences by their sheer number. I could imagine a ship today that would be able to withstand such an onslaught, but the Silent Mary remained strong, the damage she herself have sustained doing nothing to slow her relentless attack, and one by one the pirate ships fell to the depths and the sharks waiting below. The smell of blood permeated the air, and under any other circumstances that smell would make ravenous with hunger, but while I was happy for the _capitán_ 's victory, I was also restless as in the background of all this, I could clearly see the sharp edges of the rocks, and the gaping jaws of a cave's entrance, hiding a darkness within it so deep not a single ray of light could pierce through it.

The battlefield was filled with burning ships and a thick curtain of smoke that hung in the air, obscuring the view, but from my distance I could see one last ship slowly making its escape, and I swam closer, waiting to see what will happen. That was when I heard the voice, and when I looked, I saw that the captain has heard it too. In the crow's nest of that lone surviving ship stood a young pirate, a young boy with a cocky, arrogant grin on his face. The one he still keeps to this day."

"Jack Sparrow?" asked Beckett, and she nodded solemnly. "Yes, that was the first time I saw him. Much younger than he is today, but it was the same pirate. And he was laughing, mocking the captain as if he wasn't the one who's ship could be smashed to pieces with a single cannon ball. Today I would have of course known that he is much too smart to do something like that without having a reason for it, but back then I was just floating in the water, staring up at him with confusion. At least before I saw him turning the ship straight towards the entrance of the Triangle. It must have been a trap, for I would never thought any pirate would be stupid enough to sail through there with all the legends surrounding the place. But the captain, in his anger at the pirate's words did not give the ancient myths any thought, and followed the pirate ship with his own with the speed of the devil.

I was, by that time, already on the ship, but nobody noticed me, so focused were they on catching the pirates. I grabbed a spyglass laying on deck and climbed to the crow's nest to see ahead. There was something happening on the ship before us, and when I put the spyglass to my eye I could see them moving large, thick ropes, tying them firmly around the deck on the ship's left side, holding them as they stood their ready for something. Suddenly I saw a small craggy cliff in the water and gap behind it just enough for a smaller ship to sail through it, and suddenly, it clicked.

"They're going to turn the ship!" I shouted down at the sailors beneath me, and then I jumped down, not caring whether or not they will see me jumping the whole distance down without so much as a shudder. They all stared at me in disbelief, but I ran straight to the captain. "Listen to me," I said, and I hoped that perhaps the seriousness in my voice will make him listen. "they're going to turn the ship at the last moment and drive you straight into the Triangle. You cannot sail in there, if you do you will never return. You have to turn the ship now!" I screamed, pleading with him, but I could see that he did not take me seriously, as he ordered one of his men to take me somewhere safe and continued the ship forward.

It all happened exactly the way I predicted. Just as Salazar was about the catch the Sparrow, the pirates threw the ropes down, hooking them on the sharp rocks below, turning the ship on the spot, but there was no time and no space for Salazar left to make the same manoeuvre. and then suddenly we were in the arch and I felt such fear taking hold of me that I have never felt before in my life. I wasn't just that I was afraid of what awaited inside, it was like something was physically grabbing me and pushing me back, and I wrenched myself away from the sailors holding me and jumped into the water, away from the ship and the closing darkness. I swam away as quickly as I could, but then I heard the explosions, and my senses came back to me suddenly as I turned around and stared at the flames that burned through the darkness, the flickering light of the fire almost demonic as it illuminated the inside of the cave. And then the noise and light died out and everything became quiet, save for the distant screaming of the pirates who just began celebrating the death of their greatest enemy and the victory of their new captain.

Me?" she asked, her voice shaking. "I looked after them, thinking whether or not I should follow, but I couldn't just leave yet. I wanted to go into the Triangle to see what become of the Silent Mary and its crew, but as soon as I came closer, it was as if there was an invisible barrier of fear, a cold wind blowing through the tunnel, a darkness so deep that not even my eyes could see in it staring back at me, that would not let me pass through as much as I tried. I have tried many times after and never succeeded, and so to this day I do not know what happened to the man to whom I would have given my heart, if fate had been kinder to us both." As she spoke, more and more sadness was creeping into her voice, her head hanging low. "I can only hope that he is indeed dead."

"What do you mean?" lord Beckett asked her, a little bewildered by such a statement, and she raised her head to look at him. "No one knows for sure what evil lies beyond those rocks, lord Beckett," she answered. "or what happens to those who dare cross their borders but there are whispers. Whispers of things far too terrible to imagine. And I will never forgive myself if I find out I left him to die only for him never to find his peace." And with that, she could no longer stop the tears she was trying to hold back for a while, and she cried, her face falling into her hands.

Suddenly, she felt his hand on her shoulder, and she tensed a little at the unexpected contact, but soon she relaxed and accepted the comfort. Lord Beckett reached into his pocket, pulling out a white handkerchief, placing it into her hands and she wiped the tears off quickly. He then crouched down in front of her chair so that he could stare into her eyes, and she couldn't help but look into his, searching through his features, knowing how pathetic he must have thought of her to be, and yet she could not find it anywhere in his face. "None of this is your fault, miss Brooks." He said. "You have tried your best to save him, but things don't always happen the way we want them too. There is nothing you should blame yourself for." His eyes were looking at her with compassion, and whether it was pretended or not, she did not care at the moment.

A moment later she gasped slightly as he moved a bit closer and brought his hand to her face, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear before he gently traced along her cheek with the back of his fingers, so gently it felt like the touch of a butterfly. His eyes never leaving hers, his fingers went under her chin and guided her head up and forward. She hesitated for only a second, and in that moment he closed the distance between them and connected his mouth with hers.

At first he kissed her in a slow and seductive way, patiently waiting for her to calm down and respond to his touch, as his hands slowly wandered to her neck, caressing her skin, and after a minute she relaxed in his arms, and allowed him to continue. His lips trailed a line of hot kisses down her jaw and her neck to her shoulders as he reached around her to the lacing of her dress and she growled slightly at his boldness, warning him to be careful, but she did not stop him when he continued kissing down her shoulder, pulling the dress down, making her shudder with delight.

"I take it you are staying here tonight?" he whispered, and she felt all warm inside as she nodded and he pulled her up, and she stepped out of her dress slowly as he guided her towards the bed. There, she stopped for a minute, glancing at it. Sensing that she was uncertain about something, he leaned closer to her. "Are you sure about this? I would not force you into anything, I really wouldn't, so please, are you sure you want this to happen?" At that, her eyes widened, filled with amazement. "You are asking this of me?" she laughed, and with one quick movement she pushed him on the bed, climbing on top of him swiftly as she began removing his waistcoat, pulling the cravat from his neck. She sat there, looking down at him, her eyes burning bright green, before she leaned closer and spoke. "You know, I could eat you." she said. She looked around, there were no guards in the room, and his gun was far away on the table. "I could just simply eat you now and remove you from this world, along with the trouble you keep causing." she eyed the soft flesh of his throat as he swallowed, thinking how easy it would be to tear through it if she wanted to. "You wouldn't even have time to scream." she said, but they both knew that her heart wasn't in it. Still, it wouldn't be lord Beckett if he didn't put a bit of british humour into the situation.

"Well, than it is fortunate that we had that dinner before all this." he said, and her eyebrows went high, before she chuckled, releasing the pressure on his chest a bit, and he used that quick moment of distraction to flip her over beneath him, pressing his lips to hers once again, kissing her hard until they both had to stop to find their breath, and he pulled the waistcoat down, finishing what she started, and continued with the shirt. She suddenly pushed him off of her, and went closer to nibble at his own ear gently with her teeth, moving down to his throat, stroking his chest with her hands, and as he moaned, making her smile, she felt something pressing against her stomach, and she breathed in sharply, before kissing him, and soon, the whole world around them ceased to exist as they both became lost in their own passion and desire.

oooooooooo

She woke up the next morning slightly confused as her hand touched the expensive sheets and she felt the comfort of the bed beneath her, and it took a while before she recalled what exactly happened yesterday, but then she smiled and turned her head to look at the man sleeping next to her. He looked peaceful, his handsome features relaxed in his sleep, and she watched him for a moment before turning away, thinking what exactly possessed her to give herself to him like that, but surprisingly, she did not feel any regrets. It occured to her, as she glanced back at him, that she has got for free what other woman would be willing to pay for perhaps and that actually made her feel proud about this whole experience.

"So, am I forgiven?" she heard his voice suddenly behind her and she turned. He sat next to her, already putting on his clothes, giving her one of his charming smiles, and she eyed him with disbelief. "You actually believed I would take this as a form of apology?"

"No, but a bonus is always appreciated." he replied, and she laughed shortly at his answer, before rising up, putting the dress on before standing close to him. "Now, would you be so kind to help me with this, lord Beckett?" she said, carefully lowering her voice to one of a more respectful manner, and he smiled, lacing the dress back on before placing one last kiss on her neck. She sighed, turning to him. "I will not say that did not appreciated this, lord Beckett, I think I needed the distraction. So thank you. And yes, I am inclined to forgive you now, just make sure that nobody else I care about die without it being necessary." she said to him, and allowed him to kiss her hand before she departed from his cabin.


	15. Chapter 15

_Hallo everybody! I am so sorry it took me so long to continue with this, I had a lot of other work during the summer and then school started, I got a bit of a writer's block, and I had a lot of other fandoms to catch up with, you know what I mean, right? But now I'm back to writing this story. :)_

 **Kelpie Fact No. 7: (will be added later)**

 **Written in the Stars**

Chapter 15.

"No, no, miss Silver, you have to hold it higher, otherwise you're leaving your left side completely exposed." The two swords clanked as their blades collided together, and Silver laughed heartily as she actually managed to deflect the blow. She has been practising with Koleniko on the Dutchman's deck all morning, and she was happy to say that she was making progress, even though she still looked, as the fish man so jokingly put it, like a seagull flapping it's wings rather then someone with an experience in swordsmanship. Still, as the sun climbed higher and they both collapsed on the deck exhausted, he patted her on the shoulder saying that there was hope for her yet and she smiled at him gratefully.

They have been doing their morning sessions for a week now, and though they were always watched by a bunch of nervous looking marines, lord Beckett seemed to be greatly amused by this and haven't said a word to forbid it. In fact, if he had the time, he would always come by to enjoy the show. Right now he was sitting on his usual place and watched her as she sat there, happily laughing with her friend. She sensed his eyes on her and she turned giving him a small smile, which he acknowledged with a short nod of his head, and a smile of his own.

Ever since that night they spent together their relationship has greatly changed, for the better. Since the last few days had been without any incident, she has regarded him in a much friendlier manner now, finally deciding to simply accept his authority, which he seemed to appreciate, and her life became all the more better for it. She had become a lot more relaxed around him, greeting him with a smile and a small bow when they met each other. On the other hand, she had also become a lot bolder in his presence, still treating him with respect, one that seemed genuine even, which it was, but she was now much more confident, being aware of her own importance among Beckett's forces.

And she was, indeed, very useful to the English lord. Aside from helping them during the hunting itself, she often assisted the ship's navigator with setting their course. She was never really a good strategist for that matter, but she spend a lot of time here in the Caribbean, and she knew how to find her way around the area quickly, the fastest routes they could take to get to their destination, the possible hiding places any escaping pirates could take, as well as the dangers that they could encounter on their way, and so, when it came to it, she could get them out of tight spots where their charts couldn't possibly help and make their hunting endeavours very effective.

And so lord Beckett did not regret giving her a tad bit of freedom, as he rather liked this new side of her. She had a cheerful and rather carefree personality, when she didn't have to worry for anyone, and she could just enjoy life as it was, and she actually made him laugh with her antics. Every time she was sent out she would jump into the sea, bearing her natural form, diving beneath the waves and jumping above the water like a playful dolphin, neighing happily, glad simply to be allowed to swim again, effectively perplexing everyone who was watching. She would always stop frolicing when she caught the look in his eyes though, sending him what almost looked like an apologetic look, and get to work.

By now he himself has witnessed just what she was capable of when nobody held her back, the cold efficiency she displayed when she was hunting the pirates they encountered, killing them with no remorse, no hesitation. She didn't bother hiding her darker nature either, as she tore into the bodies she claimed as her own like a shark, in a sort of feeding frenzy when she was almost oblivious to the rest of the world. It was disconcerting to say the least, but while the soldiers present on board were horrified at the sight in front of them, he was mostly intrigued as he watched the elegant curves of her body slither through the water like some sort of sea serpent, picking his enemies one by one while they could only watch helplessly while he sailed forward on his ship like a king. It filled him with enormous sense of pride to be able to control such a creature, and with so little effort at that.

Silver these days was spending a lot of her time on her new ship. The Pilgrim, as she called it, was a truly beautiful craft, smaller, yet spacious enough and relatively easy to manipulate and Silver loved just sitting on it's deck and staring at the endless sea as they sailed through it. Commanding a ship wasn't exactly one of her talents, so Beckett remedied that by giving her some of his men and a young captain eager to prove himself to keep the ship afloat while her owner was taking care of his business, or just leisurely resting after a successful hunt.

Another sign of her improving mood was that she began to sing again. Gone were the sad, mournful songs she sang to tell the moon of her fate, but cheerful, happy songs of a kelpie happy with her life. And she wasn't singing just for herself anymore either. It was probably thanks to her beautiful voice that all those many soldiers that were first so wary of her suddenly started to warm up to her gradually, she was like a ray of sunshine on those days, and it was good for the moral of the British crew.

One day, in particular, was truly memorable for Silver in that regard. They were just coming home from another day of pirate hunting, and Silver was, well fed and pleasantly tired, standing on the deck of her ship, leaning against the railing contentedly, as she watched the slowly setting sun. As she stood there, her eyes reflecting the golden hue of the horizon, she suddenly felt a song forming in her throat, and with a happy sigh she let it out into the world.

 _Look ahead, look astern, look the weather and the lee,_

 _blow high, blow low, and so sailed we!_

 _I see a wreck to windward and a lofty ship to lee,_

 _a-sailing down all on the coasts of High Barbaree…_

 _Oh are you a pirate or a man o'war? cried we,_

 _blow high, blow low, and so sailed we!_

 _Oh no, I'm not a pirate, but a man o'war! cried he,_

 _a-sailing down all on the coasts of High Barbaree…_

She took a breath, about to start the third verse, when she was suddenly surprised to hear the words being uttered by another voice, softly at first, but gradually they got a lot more fervour into them, and she turned to look at the young captain on the platform above her. Standing by the wheel, the young man seemed to be more than happy to join in in her song, and with his example many other sailors have done the same, and soon after, she could have sworn she could hear some voiced joining them from the other ships as well. Silver stared at it in wide-eyed wonder, amazed at how a simple, cheerful song could connect people like that, even for just a few minutes, and then once again, with a smile on her face, she joined the chorus of voices with her own.

 _For broadside, for broadside, they fought all on the main,_

 _blow high, blow low, and so sailed we!_

 _Until at last the frigate shot the pirate's mast away,_

 _a-sailing down all on the coast of High Barbaree…_

It was a good time for Silver, a time when she was always well fed and physically content, and she was able to keep her worries outside her head, that is… until she met her captain. These days, she would occasionally see him in the evening. He was not allowed to play his organ anymore, especially when they were in the harbour as it disturbed other people and the soldier's sleep, and so she would often find him standing by the railing of his ship, breathing the cold night's air. They didn't talk much on these occasions. She could feel his desperation and pain radiating off of him in waves, and though she would have loved to be there to comfort him, she knew that he was angry with her. He didn't approve of her helping Beckett so readily, even though she was just killing pirates. Like her, the captain was a very proud creature, but unlike her, he wasn't quite as ready to put that pride aside, even when it was necessary, and she knew he would not listen even when she tried to tell him it would be easier if he simply tried to appease Beckett, rather then fight with him on every corner. In those moments she wasn't quite sure of she was doing the right thing, and yet she knew that, for now, the only way to their freedom was through patience.

It was late into the night one day, back in Port Royal, and Silver was standing alone on the Pilgrim's deck, leaning over the railing as she looked into the water. It was a full moon that night, and it's bright, shining white face was reflecting in the clear dark surface below. She stayed like that for a while, deep in thought, when suddenly she twitched her head, as she caught a familiar scent. Frowning, she glanced around, but there was nothing moving in the shadows, and she was almost convinced that her senses were playing tricks on her, when a clear voice rang from behind her.

"So this is why you left us behind… to serve these mortal men and lament about it to the moon?"

She stopped, and whirled around to see who spoke. Before her now stood a woman. Wearing a simple, comfortable looking grey dress, she looked a bit older than Silver, and her beautiful, pale face was framed by a mane of stormy gray hair. As she smiled in greeting, her olive eyes flashed bright green, revealing her to be another kelpie, and Silver took a step forward, giving her own smile in return.

"I am not lamenting." she said, bristling slightly, making the other woman chuckle. "No, but your face suggests that you'd like to. I wonder what has gotten you so worried." the words were spoken nonchalantly, and yet the expression on the older one's face was serious, as if she already knew the answer, and Silver turned back to the railing and sighed deeply. "Silvermane," said the other, and moved closer to put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I have been watching you for several days now. What have you gotten yourself into?"

In response, Silver has quickly turned and hugged the older kelpie tightly. "It's so good to see you, Stormwing." she said, mumbling into her shoulder, before she stepped back. "You know about Davy Jones then?" she asked, and the female kelpie known as Stormwing nodded solemnly. "I've heard." she said. "That's why I came to find you. This is not a situation that you should be a part of, Silver."

"I know." Silver said sharply, and turned her head away. "But I cannot just leave, and you cannot make me." she looked at her friend again. "Davy Jones saved my life, Storm, you know that. I cannot just leave him in this, I have to find a way to save him…"

"And I suppose you want to achieve that," Storm cut in on her haughtily, "by fornicating with that arrogant human who claims lordship over these seas as if he's got even the slightest right to do so." As she spoke, she watched as Silver's pale cheeks blushed red in anger and embarrasment. "That was… only once." she exclaimed, looking at the grey haired woman in exasperation. "How do you even know about that? That was over a week ago."

"And you still carry his scent on you." Storm simply shrugged. "I suppose he is quite handsome, for a human, and it is, of course, your own business who you're sleeping with, but honestly…" she paused, and pierced Silver with a concerned stare. "I just want to make sure that things don't end up like last time. We live very long, Silver, and there is a reason why we don't build any bonds with humans. I was not there to warn you before, so I will warn you now. This is not going to end well, my dear. You care for the captain, and I have seen that you have begun to care for Beckett to, if only for a little bit, but it is very likely that at the end, only one of them will survive, and the other will die one way or another. Most likely, you need to be ready for the possibility that the captain cannot be saved. I was there to get you out of the worst of your grief, I don't want you to go through another."

Silver has, by that time, turned back to the railing, hiding the tears that found their way into her eyes. She knew that Storm was right of course, and she knew that she meant well. Things have been bad after Salazar's death, and it was only after she found herself living among other kelpies that she finally managed to actually forget that grief, and she knew that losing Jones would be just the same, but still she had to risk it, this time when she actually had a chance to save him. As for Beckett, that was something Silver wasn't sure herself. She knew she would have to make a decition in the end, and that perhaps she won't be lucky enough to have all the right cards, but perhaps now… now that she wasn't alone…

"Storm…" she began, and looked at the kelpie that, many times in the past, proved herself to be the best friend she ever had. "Please, help me. You are right of course, I know that, I know that I can't do this on my own, so if you want to help me, please stay. With you by my side, I'm sure I'll be able to find a solution to all this."

Storm looked at the pleading look in her friend's eyes and cursed inwardly. She came here to get her friend out of here, to get her out a possibly dangerous situation that will most certainly bring her nothing but pain and misery, and here she was actually considering what she asked for. She sighed, knowing that she she should simply shove her into the sea, drag her back home and chain her somewhere but… looking at her now she realised that she would only do as much damage, and so she decided to concede, nodding. "Very well, then, let no one say that Stormwing won't help a friend in trouble." she said gently, putting a hand around Silver's shoulders. "Even though I do thing it's trouble born out of lunacy. But I will stay, and if I can, I will help you deal with this. So now, if you're not too tired, would you be so kind to tell me exactly what happened to you since you left us by that shipwreck?" she smiled, and Silver, for the first time that night, let out a genuine laugh of happiness before taking a deep breath, and starting at the beginning.


	16. Chapter 16

**Kelpie Fact No. 8: (will be added later)**

 **Written in the Stars**

Chapter. 16

When lord Beckett came out of his cabin next morning, he was surprised to not only see one white horse on board of the Endeavour, but two. It was, truly, a beautiful day outside, the sun was shining brightly, its light flashing on the surface of the water, and in its early warmth two white mares were standing by the ship's bow side by side, leaning against each other quite affectionately. Before he had a chance to say something though, the soft morning breeze brought his scent over to them, and they turned their heads to him almost simultaneously, before immediately trotting over to him. The one in the back, he recognised as Silver at once. Her steps were hesitant, as if she wasn't very sure of herself, unlike the other, unknown kelpie, for surely it was another kelpie, who strutted forward with long, purposeful strides. As he watched, he could clearly see the difference between the two of them, this white horse was slightly bigger than Silver, with dark, grey hair instead of white, her eyes green instead of brown. Those eyes shone slightly as she stared at him, drawing closer, until she halted to a spot right in front of him, and as she towered over him with her head raised proudly, she was quite intimidating, seemingly, without even trying. And lord Beckett, most certainly, did not like that feeling.

"What is the meaning of this?" he asked sharply, and he quickly looked at Silver who, by that time, managed to catch up to her friend and placed her horse-like head against the other one's neck, as if silently asking her not to act in such a confrontational way. After that, the other kelpie scraped the ground with one of her hooves, and spoke.

"I am Stormwing." she began, and Silver threw her head back anxiously at her tone, her long mane whirling around her ears. "I am a friend of this young and foolish kelpie standing by my side and I have come on her behalf to resolve this troublesome and irritating situation. You," she said and took a small step forward. "You are lord Beckett of the East India Trading Company. I will speak with you now." The grey haired kelpie stood still for a few seconds, awaiting his answer, but her posture has not lost any of its hostility and anger, and the tension in the air was so palpable it could be cut with a knife, until there was a flash of green light, and a deep sigh as Silver stepped forward, changing into her human form, and bowed to lord Beckett deeply.

"I am sorry, lord Beckett, I'm afraid my friend knows very little of the concept of subtlety. I swear I did not know she was coming here, but Stormwing has always been my protector of sorts and her concern for me has made her seek me out. I did my best to assure her there is not reason to be concerned, and she has expressed her desire to stay and help with our cause, if you would permit it."

Storm has turned her head towards Silver when she heard her speak, and her face as she did so was filled with several different emotions. On one side she was quite put off by the submissive way her friend was speaking to Beckett, with her head bowed and her voice soft, for she felt such a behaviour was very unbecoming of the predators they were, but on the other hand she was almost… almost, envious of the way Silver was able to speak with this human, using her eloquence instead of violence. Kelpies were, by their nature, very simple creatures, inteligent for sure, but they were mostly content to live with little more than their own predatory lifestyle, and yet Silver, spending so much time among humans has managed to blend in with their kind, which was something Storm knew she would never be able to do. It made her into a very different creature, ultimately making many things a lot easier for her and other things equally more complicated, but while many had said that it only brought her pain, Storm was at least perceptive enough to see that it also made her very happy from time to time.

Now that she saw lord Beckett from up close, she supposed she could not blame Silver for taking a fancy to him. He was nothing exceptionally impressive, but handsome nonetheless. Storm saw before her a very proud man who was ruthless enough to do anything to achieve his goals, a man who would essentially be a very good kelpie in another life, and she would act towards him differently perhaps, if she wasn't worried about her all too trusting friend. But she supposed she ought to act nicely for now, if she was to make Silver's situation easier, and so she turned towards Beckett, the expression on her now human face a bit more conciliatory, while lord Beckett stood there, eyeing them both with a blank face, though his eyes were shining with suspicion.

"I think it would be better if we continued this conversation in my quarters." he said at the end, and the two kelpies followed after him as he turned and walked in the direction he came from, but as Silver took a step to enter the door, Storm put a gentle hand on her shoulder, stopping her. "You wait here." she said. "I want to talk to him alone." Silver raised her eyebrows at that, shaking her head slightly. "Storm, I don't think that's a good idea…" she began, but Storm cut her off swiftly. "No listen, I'm not going to cause you any more embarrassments, but I need to talk to him without you being there. Maybe he'll let something slip in front of a stranger." she insisted, and so, seeing that she wasn't gonna budge, Silver gave up and nodded, walking away to sit on the nearest staircase.

OOOOOSOOOOO

Meanwhile, inside Beckett's office, Storm had stood herself over by a window and turned towards Beckett slowly. He sat himself in his chair comfortably, letting her stand there patiently, as if he was silently trying to assert his dominance over her. Storm almost admired his ability to remain calm, but then again she guessed that he had enough faith in the two guards standing by the door. She would show him how wrong he was about that if she was here only for herself.

"So," he finally looked up, glancing at her. "Am I assuming correctly that you just tried to take my kelpie away?" he asked, and Storm could already feel her patience slowly ebbing away at his words. She took a deep breath to calm herself down. "Actually, that was last night. If she wanted to leave, none of you would have been the wiser." she remarked, but that only made him laugh.

"Naturally." he said in a cheeful voice. "Of course the only reason she is allowed enough freedom to do that, is because I know that she won't."

"Of course not." Storm answered immediately, her voice slightly darkened as her anger started to rise, and she had to control herself not to growl at him. "I did not really expect to succeed. After all, you're basically holding her hostage here."

"That isn't entirely true." Lord Beckett challenged, his voice filled with slight amusement. "I didn't say that she can't leave, of course, that is her choice entirely… if she is willing to accept the consequences." he added, and Storm shook her head, scoffing. "Oh, words, words, those are just words, and you know it. She is bound here by her honour, which is something all kelpies acknowledge with great value and you obviously lack, otherwise you would never use that to your advantage. Anyway," she continued, before he could respond. "Whatever the case, I will be staying, you might as well accept it. I want this to be over as soon as possible, and for that purpose I will stay and help, and keep an eye on Silver while I'm here, I will behave for her sake. I don't particularly like pirates either, so for you this is a win situation."

"Perhaps," he answered, raising from his chair. "That remains to be seen. You will be an unpredictable element in my plan, miss… Stormwing, was it? And an unpredictability is never a good thing for any plan. But, if your friend feels safer with you around, then by all means stay. I do care to keep my assets happy, after all, and she has shown a remarkable efficiency when she is happy."

At that, Storm, for the first time since she saw him, smiled. "Yes, I suppose she would." she said with kindness. "She is a very emotional creature you know, but she always tried to enjoy life, when she can. Such is the way of a kelpie." she sighed. "So, do we have a deal?" she asked, meeting his eyes, reaching out with her hand as she saw humans doing it. He seemed to contemplate his answer for a while, but then he took her hand and shook it lightly. "We do." he simply answered, and she nodded her head and left without saying another word. As soon as the door clicked shut behind her, a dark shadow emerged from a corner of the room. Mr. Mercer.

"Sir?" he began grimly. "I'd say, it seems that little pest is not so firmly under your control as we believed." he said, and while lord Beckett did not turn to look at him, the corners of his mouth raised slightly in a smile. "Yes, it would seem so. I do not think that she actually called for help, but it would seem that young miss Brooks is preparing to make a move of her own. Leave her to me, you keep an eye on this new player we have on board. We must be aware of any plan that they may cook up, and she may let something slip if you watch her carefully. In the meantime, how is the situation with our friend in Singapore?" he asked, finally turning his head to his servant in mild interest, and Mercer answered his question swiftly. "He has assured me that he is prepared to make the delivery as soon as they arrive at the agreed place. We can make our way there in two days."

"Very well." said Beckett, nodding. "I can't wait to have a chat with… captain Jack Sparrow again. It is almost sad to think how partial this rabble is to betrayal once the proverbial wind turns against them. It might be interesting to see how miss Brooks will react to see him alive… or what she might do to ensure such a fact doesn't remain true for long."

OOOOOSOOOOO

The night came quickly to Port Royal as storm clouds slowly gathered on its doorstep, but the early evening, though the air was heavy and the wind from the sea felt as thick as a blanket, was so far very calm. A lonely tavern stood there, among the damp, soggy alleys near the harbour, one of the many small, local establishments inhabited by all sorts of characters, mostly members of the common folk ready to spend some time in a blissful oblivion with a full tankard or one of the oh so willing tavern wenches after a hard day's work. One of those people, at least for today's evening, was a man named Thomas Blanchard. He worked as a labourer in the harbour and today was especially tiring, as it was for the last few weeks, ever since that big, expensive looking ship first came in. The head of the East India Trading Company was a strict man, they said, and so everything had to be perfect, lest the harbour master would have to pay fines that would most surely be taken from the worker's pay later. It wasn't fair, but that was the way life was, and it was better to complain about it to a glass full of liquor, rather than officials that would hardly listen to him, let alone do something.

He spent several hours in that inn until his head started to make him feel that he had, in fact, quite enough. It was time to go home. As he did every other day, he walked home through the harbour. It gave him an opportunity to look things over for one last time and call it a day with a clear conscience. Today however, things were meant to be different. Walking along the coast, he glanced over at the darkening ocean, when suddenly, in a corner of his eyes, he could have sworn he saw some movement, and a flash of something white. He stopped for a while, staring, but at the end he just dismissed it as nothing but a trick of the light. Yet just as he moved to continue his walking, he heard a soft sound on the wind and he turned after it sharply. There, on the white sand, beneath the wooden pier, stood a horse. It was a mare, her long beautiful mane soaking in the water as she walked with her head bowed down. Her coat shone in the darkened wharf like starlight, her gray mane waving around in the wind. In was such an incredible and unexpected sight, and he stared, mesmerised, at the beautiful beast before him. Then, he took a step forward towards it. Only now did he noticed the piece of rope hanging around the creature's neck, and it suddenly occured to him that he could use this wonderful opportunity. This horse was nothing like the pitiful nags you could usually see around the town, not even the fine bred horses that pulled the carriages of the high and mighty. This horse looked really expensive, and by the looks of it also lost. With no one looking for it, he could take it back home and make some pretty coin selling it later. and he began stalking closer to the animal. The mare looked at him, but continued waddling through the shallow water, looking away in disinterest. He touched the rope around her neck, and when the mare remained motionless, in one fluid movement he hopped on onto her back.

The moment he did however, everything went wrong. He felt the horse go rigid under him, and then, as he tried to steer her towards the streets, the mare's eyes suddenly glowed bright, venomous green as she leapt into the air and into the ocean behind them. He heard himself scream, but his desperate cries for help were soon drowned along with him as he was pulled into the cold, crushing embrace below. And as the kelpie began her feast beneath the darkened surface, all that could be seen from above was a cloud of blood, and a bloodied piece of discarded rope slowly sinking into the depths.

OOOOOSOOOOO

"How can he still be alive?" came the clear, angry voice of Silver as she saw exactly who was led on board of the Endeavour and immediately ran into Beckett's office to ask him about it. Surprisingly, unlike her, he didn't seem surprised about it in the slightest, and she looked at him suspiciously, lowering her voice to a quiet whisper. "What is going on here, lord Beckett?"

"It appears the pirates have decided to bring him back from the dead. I imagine they must have gone to quite a great lengths to do so."

"But for whatever reason?" she nearly shouted. "Never mind the pirates' short term friendship expectancy, nobody would just go to Davy Jones' Locker to save someone who clearly belongs there on top of it." she stopped and shook her head in her distress. "You might want to keep this from Jones for a while or he'll be insufferable. But I will remedy this situation as soon as I'm able."

"That may happen, indeed." Beckett said, turning to her. "But not anytime soon. He has many information that could be very useful to us, namely the fact that he can lead us to his pirate friends. So you see, I cannot allow you to kill him just yet, but if you promise to behave, you may be allowed to ask a few questions yourself." he looked at her, and the look in his cold eyes was stern, and she smiled, before lowering her head in a bow once again. "Of course, lord Beckett, I will wait for his usefulness to end before I have my own fun with him. But…" she paused, and looked at him sheepishly. "you do promise to leave him to me at the end, don't you? You know how much it means to me." There was a pleading look in her eyes, and he put a hand on her face gently and stroked her cheek with his thumb. "Oh course." he said softly. "You have every right to claim his life. When the time comes, you shall have your chance."

She tensed a bit, looking up into his eyes when he touched her, almost leaning into his touch unconsciously, and took a deep breath as he stepped closer. This has been the first time they were really alone after a while and it wasn't sure what would happen, if at that moment there wasn't a knock on the door. Lord Beckett stepped away from her and she turned to look at the door. "Bring him in!" Lord Beckett called, looking at her as if nothing happened, and she composed herself quickly as the guards outside basically threw the pirate into the room, shutting the door behind him.

OOOOOSOOOOO

Jack Sparrow winced as he was unceremoniously thrown inside Beckett's quarters, and he turned to see lord Beckett standing by the window, his back to him as he watched the Black Pearl being taken over by his men. Carefully trying his famous luck, he began silently rummaging through the cabin while listening to Beckett's attempts at mocking him, before he suddenly turned, and yelped, as he came face to face with a familiar young, white haired woman, who was staring at him with mild curiosity and the softest of smiles, which both failed miserably to hide the anger and contempt in her eyes, and yet when she spoke, she surprisingly managed to keep her voice calm.

"Looking for something?" she asked simply, and he could see it has taken her a considerable effort to remain civil, at that moment though, lord Beckett turned away from the window, and the pirate quickly shifted his attention to the aristocrat, who could only smile as he saw how the look in the kelpie's eyes was making the so called captain nervous. "Don't bother looking for the heart. It's not here, Jack." he said, noticing how Sparrow subtly made his way over to the other side of the room to keep away from the angry sea monster. The moment he did though, the kelpie in question picked up on this swiftly, and the predator inside of her awakened, as she began stalking him around the room lazily, watching him like a lion would watch a gazelle out on the savannah, playing with him like a cat would play with a mouse, as she watched him basically running away from her whenever she came too close. For a while, lord Beckett watched her game in amusement, before he raised a hand and called: "Ok, that's enough, miss Brooks, let's get back to serious matters, shall we? Please, take a seat." he said, and she threw him a semi-annoyed look before she placed herself in one of the comfortable chairs around the table.

"It's remarkable, truly." said lord Beckett, as he glanced outside to look at the ship again. "To see that ship again after such a long time. Last time I saw her, she was on a fire. A blackened hulk, sinking beneath the waves. And for what, exactly? We had a deal, Jack. I contracted you to deliver cargo on my behalf. Instead, you chose to liberate it."

Beside them, Silver was watching them both carefully, listening to their conversation, her eyes narrowed. She had a feeling there was something more to this, and a second later her worst assumption was confirmed as she saw the look on Sparrow's face, and heard his next words. So he was working for Beckett once, and he was supposed to transport slaves, which he refused. She did not, by any means, condone to slavery of any kind, and she did suppose that, for a pirate, that was surprisingly considerate, even though it ultimately didn't change a thing between them… or did it?

OOOOOSOOOOO

Ten minutes later, Silver was standing next to lord Beckett on the Endeavour's deck and watched, angrily, as the Black Pearl sailed away swiftly while they were picking up the pieces of their damaged ship. She pawed the ground with her foot like an enraged horse, and mumbled: "If you'd let me, I could follow them."

"You could, but not today." he answered coolly. "We will deal with Jack Sparrow in due good time. For now, I want you to go with the Dutchman." he said, and her eyes widened in protest. "What? Why? I do not think we should let Sparrow out of our sights. You do realise that making any kinds of deals with him is an extremely bad idea, right? He's most certainly not going to keep his word."

"It's a good thing then, that I'm not going to keep mine either." that stopped her, and she shook her head and laughed shortly as he smiled at her in that wicked way of his. "Allright, but I still think letting him go now will have some unpleasant consequences later. Why are you sending me after that ship anyway?" she asked with curiosity.

"Simple. It is not a good idea to cross me, as that Singaporean scum will soon learn, but I have also noticed a certain Elizabeth Swann on board, and I do not trust the admiral to follow through with his orders once he sees her there. So you're going with him to make sure that he does… I trust that you will think of your own motivations while you're at it." he added, and she gasped, looking at him sharply. She took a deep breath, as if she wanted to say something, and then she turned around, and left, missing the calculating look in Becketts eyes completely.


End file.
